(1.) Leave granted in all the Special Leave Petitions.
(2.) In this batch of writ petitions and appeals the core issue is the vires of the provisions of Sections 175(1)(q) and 177(1) of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 (Act No. 11 of 1994) (hereinafter referred to as the Act, for short). The relevant provisions are extracted and reproduced hereunder:-
(3.) Act No. 11 of 1994 was enacted with various objectives based on past experience and in view of the shortcomings noticed in the implementation of preceding laws and also to bring the legislation in conformity with Part IX of the Constitution of India relating to 'The Panchayats' added by the Seventy-third Amendment. One of the objectives set out in the Statement of Objects and Reasons is to disqualify persons for election of Panchayats at each level, having more than 2 children after one year of the date of commencement of this Act, to popularize Family Welfare/Family Planning Programme (vide Clause (m) of Para 4 of SOR).