Overview
- At a hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court adjourned the Maharashtra local body reservation case to Friday after the state sought time to consult the election commission.
- Elections already notified for 242 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats on December 2 will go ahead, with reservations in 57 bodies exceeding 50% treated as subject to the case outcome.
- The bench directed that any further election notifications, including for zilla parishads, municipal corporations and panchayat samitis, must comply with the 50% limit on total reservations.
- Chief Justice Surya Kant said elections held contrary to law can be annulled, adding the court intends to keep polls moving rather than stall grassroots representation.
- Hindustan Times reported the state’s uniform 27% OBC quota followed a June 2 opinion from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, after which departments issued directives that produced multiple breaches across councils, corporations, district councils and panchayats.