Jharkhand High Court Upholds State's Reservation Framework for Urban Local Body Polls
The Jharkhand High Court has delivered a significant ruling, dismissing a plea that sought to reserve the post of mayor in the Dhanbad Municipal Corporation for the scheduled caste (SC) category in the forthcoming urban local body elections. In its order dated January 27, the court emphasized that elections are the soul of democracy, underscoring the constitutional mandate for timely and orderly municipal polls.
Court's Observations on Constitutional Mandate
A bench comprising Chief Justice M S Sonak and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad heard the petition filed by Santanu Kumar Chandra. The court highlighted that Part IX-A of the Constitution was introduced to restore urban local bodies as vibrant democratic units of self-government and to ensure regular elections. The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 granted constitutional status to India's urban local bodies, mandating their formal creation, fixed tenures, and devolution of powers for urban planning and services.
The court noted that states are expected to act in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution to establish a strong and viable system of local self-government. It referenced Article 243T(4), which empowers state governments to make rules for reservation of chairperson posts in municipalities, including for SCs, scheduled tribes (STs), and women.
Background of the Petition
The writ petition argued that based on the 2011 census, Dhanbad Municipal Corporation has the highest SC population among all municipal corporations in Jharkhand, with 1,99,509 individuals. Therefore, under a population-based reservation policy, the mayor's post should have been earmarked for the SC category. The petitioner challenged state notifications from October 16, 2025, and January 8, which sub-classified municipal corporations into categories like "Varg-Ka" and "Varg-Kha," placing Ranchi and Dhanbad in "Varg-Ka."
This dispute arose from amendments introduced by the Jharkhand Municipal (Amendment) Act, 2022, which replaced a rotation-based system with a population-based framework for reservation of mayor and chairperson posts. The petitioner contended that creating sub-categories among municipal corporations was inconsistent with Article 243-Q of the Constitution, which recognizes only three types of urban local bodies.
State and Election Commission's Stand
Opposing the petition, the state government and the state election commission submitted that the reservation matrix was finalized after complying with the triple test mandated by the Supreme Court. This test involves recommendations from a dedicated commission for backward classes to ensure that overall reservation does not exceed the 50% ceiling and provides adequate representation across all categories.
Authorities argued that Ranchi and Dhanbad were treated as a separate class due to their million-plus population, a classification aimed at maintaining balanced representation. They also highlighted that municipal elections in Jharkhand have not been held since 2012, making judicial restraint imperative during election preparations to avoid delays.
Court's Decision and Implications
The court dismissed the petition, declining to issue any direction that would alter the reservation framework for the upcoming urban local body elections. All pending interlocutory applications were disposed of, clearing the way for the state election commission to proceed with the electoral process. This ruling reinforces the importance of adhering to constitutional provisions and state authority in matters of local governance and reservation policies.
By upholding the state's reservation framework, the Jharkhand High Court has affirmed the role of elections as a cornerstone of democratic governance, ensuring that urban local bodies can function effectively as institutions of self-government.
