Chandigarh, 13 May (Calgary Indians Bureau)- H.C. issues notice to Punjab Government and Punjab State Election Commission, DC Hoshiarpur and MLA Surinder Singh Bullewal, in a PIL seeking transparency in reservation and rotation of the post of Sarpanches in Punjab. A division Bench of H.C. comprising ACJ Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain today issued notice of motion for May, 16th, to Punjab Government and Punjab State Election Commission, DC Hoshiarpur and MLA Surinder Singh Byllewal, in PIL filed by Parvinder Singh Kittna of District Hoshiarpur, seeking inter-alia, transparency in the reservation and rotation of posts of Sarpanches for the coming Panchayat elections in the State of Punjab. The petitioner, who is a social activist of village Kittna, District Hoshiarpur, has leveled serious allegations that in the absence of specification of any criteria, in the Panchayati Raj Act, or the rules framed thereunder, for reservation and rotation of seats for the office of Sarpanch of Gram Panchayats, the concerned Deputy Commissioners are misusing their powers, and declaring the various seats of Sarpanch as reserved or otherwise, at their whims. The petitioner further alleged that the concerned Deputy Commissioners, under the influence of politicians, are deliberately not issuing notification for specifying the seat of Sarpanch as reserved or otherwise, and intend to do so only at the last minute before the issuance of notification by the Punjab State Election Commission for initiating the process of general elections to Gram Panchayats in the State of Punjab. This is being purposely done with a view to frustrate any attempt by any voter to challenge such notification reserving the seat of Sarpanch for any particular category. The petitioner, in order to substantiate the aforesaid allegations, referred to the reservation of seat of Sarpanch for village Kittna (District Hoshiarpur) during the previous three Gram Panchayat elections, to show that for the last two consecutive elections, i.e., in the year 2003 and again in the year 2008, the post of Sarpanch of village Kittna was kept reserved for general category (women) to help a particular woman of general category, namely Baljit Kaur, and further alleged that under the influence of the concerned M.L.A., Surinder Singh Bullewal, the Deputy Commissioner, Hoshiarpur intends to reserve the seat of Sarpanch of village Kittna now for general category (Men) to enable the husband of Baljit Kaur to contest the election for the post of Sarpanch of village Kittna in the ensuing elections. The counsel for the petitioner argued that as per 1994 Rules on the reservation of seat of Sarpanch, etc. during the Gram Panchayat elections, it is clear that the seats of Sarpanches of Gram Panchayats should have been initially reserved for Scheduled Caste (Men) and thereafter for Scheduled Caste (women), and only thereafter for general category. However, the said rules were violated by the concerned Deputy Commissioner at various places, including in case of village-Kittna. The counsel for the petitioner argued that total non-transparency is being maintained by the concerned Deputy Commissioners all over Punjab, in the matter of reservation of seats for the post of Sarpanch. Mr. H. C. Arora, Counsel for Petitioner told that The rosters, if any, prepared by the concerned Deputy Commissioners, are not being put up on the Notice Boards or on the official Website, with the result the concerned voters are not in a position to know the status of reservation of seat for the post of Sarpanch in their villages, and are unable to lodge any objection against that. Once the process of elections is initiated with the issuance of notification by the Punjab State Election Commission, the aggrieved persons would not be in a position to seek intervention of the High Court for challenging the orders of Deputy Commissionerd for reserving any seat for the post of Sarpanch for any particular category. Taking the matter very seriously, the H.C., while issuing notices to the respondents for May, 16th, further directed the respondents to produce all the Rules/Instructions/Orders and the rosters prepared by the concerned Deputy Commissioners before H.C. on the next date of hearing for its perusal.