REPALLE VENKATA SATYANARAYANA Vs. STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) In this batch of Writ petitions, certain provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Gram Panchayats Act, 1964, referred to in this Judgment as the Act, relating to the election of a Sarpanch are challenged as ultra-vires and unconstitutional.

(2.) In order to appreciate the contentions raised in the Writ Petitions, It is necessary to set out the relevant provisions of the Act and the amendments that were mede to them from time to time. Section 8 of the Act provides for reservation of seats for women and members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. We are, in this batch of Writ petitions concerned mainly with reservations of seats in favour of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Section 9 (1) (b) as it stood on 31-12-1978 was in the following terms:

(3.) There has been a series of amendments to these provisions in 1981, by Act No. 4/81 (which was preceded by Ordinance 1/81) Section 9 (3) was added in the following terms: