BEFORE THE HONOURABLE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA NEW DELHI, INDIA
WRIT PETITION NO. _____\2016 _____\2016 UNDER ARTICLE 32 OF THECONSTITUTION OF INDIA
RAJABALA & Ors.
(PETITIONERS)
v.
STATE OF HARYANA & Ors.
(PETITIONERS)
MEMORIAL ON BEHALF OF PETITIONERS SUBMITTED BY BLESSAN M COUNSEL NO. 16IP63016
2016
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS--
TABLE OF CONTENTS A.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................. ......................... iii
B.
INDEX OF AUTHORITIES ................................................... ............................................................................................ ......................................... iv I.
LIST OF STATUTES/RULES .................................................................................. ...... iv
II.
LIST OF CASES REFERRED .............................................................................. ...... iv
III.
LIST OF BOOKS REFERRED ................................................... .................................................................................... ................................. v
C.
STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION............................................... ............................................................................... ................................ vi
D.
STATEMENT OF FACTS ...................................................... .............................................................................................. ........................................ vii
E.
ISSUE RAISED ............................................. .................................................................................................. .................................................................. ............. viii
F.
SUMMARY OF PLEADINGS ................................................... ............................................................................................ ......................................... ix
G.
PLEADINGS ADVANCED .................................................... ............................................................................................. ......................................... 1
H.
PRAYER FOR RELIEF ................................................ ................................................................................................... ................................................... 8
ii
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS-A. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
S.No
ABBREVIATION
EXPANSION
1.
¶
Paragraph
2.
AIR
All India Report
3.
Anr.
Another
4.
Ors.
Others
5.
Re
Reply
6.
SC
Supreme Court
7.
SCC
Supreme Court Cases
8.
v.
Versus
9.
Vol.
Volume
10.
SCR
Supreme Court Reporter
11.
CAL
Calcutta
12.
GLT
Gauhati Law Times
13.
ILR
Indian Law Reports
14.
PUCL
People’s Union Of Civil Liberties
iii
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS-B. INDEX OF AUTHORITIES
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA, 1950 I.
LIST OF STATUTES/RULES
i.
73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, April 1993
ii.
Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994
iii.
Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act 8 of 2015)
iv.
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009
v.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
II.
LIST OF CASES REFERRED
¶ S.NO.
CASE TITLE
CITATION
1. Budhan Choudhry v. The State Of Bihar
[1955] 1 S.C.R. 1045
3
2. Anwar Ali Sarkar v. The State Of West Bengal
AIR 1952 CAL 150
4
3. Javed v. State Of Haryana (2003)
AIR 2003 SC 3057
8
4. E.P. Royappa v. State Of Tamil Nadu
1974 AIR 555
15
5.
TMA Pai Foundation v. State Of Karnataka
AIR 2003 SC 2902
16
6.
G.Narayanaswami v. G. Panneerselvam
AIR 1972 SC 2284
20
AIR 2002 SC 2112
21
AIR 2005 SC 2419
22
AIR 2003 SC 2363
31
AIR 2014 CHH 133
31
2015(5) GLT (SC)12
33
(1977) ILR 2DELHI265
34
Union Of India v. Association For Democratic Reform People's Union Of Civil Liberties v. Union Of 8. India & Anr
7.
9.
PUCL v. The Union Of India,2003
10. PUCL v. The Union Of India,2014 Supreme Court Advocates-On-Record Association And Ors v. Union Of India Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election 12. Commissioner
11.
iv
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS--
III.
LIST OF BOOKS REFERRED
S.NO
1.
BOOK TITLE M.P. Jain, Indian Constitutional Law, 265 (6th Ed., Lexis Nexis Butter WorthsWadhwa 2011)
2. 3. 4.
Constitution of India, P.M.Bakshi,Universal Law PublishingCompany,12th Edition Constitutional Law of India, (In 3 Volumes, Reprint), Universal Law P ublishing Introduction to Indian Constitution ,D D Basu
v
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS-C. STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION
THE PETITIONER HUMBLY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF THIS HONOURABLE PETITIONER
COURT HAS
UNDER
ART
APPROACHED
32
THIS
OF
THE
CONSTITUTION.
HONOURABLE
COURT
AS
THE THE
HARYANA PANCHAYATI RAJ (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2015 (ACT 8 OF 2015), HAS VIOLATED
HIS
FUNDAMENTAL
RIGHTS
PROVIDED
BY
THE
CONSTITUTION.THE PETITIONER MAINTAINS THAT THE JURISDICTION OF ART 32 OF THE CONSTITUTION, WHICH PROTECTS THE CITIZENS OF INDIA FROM ANY VIOLATION OF THEIR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS, IS APPLICABLE IN THE PRESENT CASE.
vi
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS-D. STATEMENT OF FACTS
1.
The Parliament passed the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act in April 1993. The
Amendment provided a constitutional status to Panchayat Raj Institutions in India, which was earlier just directed to be organized under Article 40 of the original constitution. 2.
The 73rd Amendment Act has added part IX to the Constitution of India entitled as
‘Panchayats’. The part consists of provisions from Article 243 to 243-0. 243-0. A new schedule called as Eleventh Schedule lists 29 functional items that panchayats are supposed to deal with under Article 243-G. 3.
By the 73rd amendment act, the state state of Haryana enacted the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, Act,
1994 which was amended subsequently in the year 2015. Section 175 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 provides for disqualifications of the member's to the panchayat electoral process. Section 175 of Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 was further amended in the year 2015 to include the following disqualifications I.
Fails to pay any arrears of any kind due to him to any Primary Agriculture Co-operative Society, District central cooperative bank and district primary cooperative agricultural, rural development bank; or
II. III.
Fails to pay arrears of electricity bills; or Has not passed matriculation examination or its equivalent examination from any recognized Institution/Board:
IV.
Provided that in case of a woman candidate or a candidate belonging schedule caste contesting election for the post of panch, the minimum qualification shall be 5th pass, or
V.
Fails to submit self-declaration to the effect that he has a functional toilet at his place of residence
4. The petitioner, a well learned literate person with many years of excellent service to the people, is aggrieved of the said amendment because of the educational qualification restrictions, which renders him unable to participate in the democratic process of the elections. 5. The petitioners contend that the Amendment bill serves no legitimate purpose and is in contravention to the objectives of the 73rd amendment act, thereby affecting petitioner's right to equality under Article 14 of the constitution. co nstitution. HENCE, THE PRESENT MATTER IS BEFORE THIS HONOURABLE COURT vii
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS-E. ISSUES RAISED
I.
DISQUALIFICATIONS GIVEN UNDER SECTION 175 OF THE HARYANA PANCHAYATI RAJ (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2015 (ACT 8 OF 2015) VIOLATE THE RIGHT TO EQUALITY OF THE PETITIONERS GRANTED UNDER ARTICLE 14 OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION.
II.
DISQUALIFICATIONS GIVEN UNDER SECTION 175 THE HARYANA PANCHAYATI
RAJ
(AMENDMENT)
ACT,
2015
(ACT
8
OF
2015)
VIOLATES THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OF THE PETITIONERS
GRANTED
UNDER
CONSTITUTION
viii
ARTICLE
19
OF
THE
INDIAN
--MEMORIAL FOR PETITIONERS-F. SUMMARY OF PLEADINGS
DISQUALIFICATIONS
GIVEN
UNDER
SECTION
175
OF
THE
HARYANA
PANCHAYATI RAJ (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2015 (ACT 8 OF 2015) VIOLATE THE RIGHT TO EQUALITY OF THE PETITIONERS GRANTED UNDER ARTICLE 14 OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION.
(i) There is no rational nexus between the object of the elections and classification based on educational qualifications. (ii) The object of the elections is not to select the most competent candidate but to select the person based on the democratic will of the electorate. (iii)The legislation is arbitrary as it treats equally the persons who are unequally circumstanced. (iv)The (iv) The legislation is anomalous with regard to article 243 DISQUALIFICATIONS
GIVEN
UNDER
SECTION
175
OF
THE
HARYANA
PANCHAYATI RAJ (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2015 (ACT (ACT 8 OF 2015) VIOLATES THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OF THE PETITIONERS GRANTED UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION
(i) The legislation violates the freedom of speech guaranteed under article 19 as right to vote is an exercise of freedom of speech and expression under article 19.
ix
