HC asks for list of ZP president resignations

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday directed the state government to submit a report on the resignations of the zilla panchayat(ZP) presidents and vice presidents.

Justice Vineeth Kothari asked the state government to make a list of people who had resigned, those resignations that were accepted and those that were withdrawn.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by four Zilla Panchayat presidents who have moved the court against the state government for accepting their resignations without analyzing whether they were 'genuine or voluntary in nature'.

The petitioners are C P Rajesh (Ramanagara ZP), C Muniraju (Bengaluru Urban ZP), Latha Ravikumar (Tumakuru ZP) and Sowbhagya Basavarajan (Chitradurga ZP).

The petitioners filed the petition on the grounds that political parties are forcing some ZP presidents and vice presidents to resign for various reasons.

The petitioners challenged the constitutional validity of Section 179 (1) of the Karnataka Grama Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993. The petitioners prayed to declare this section as unconstitutional. This Section is related to the procedure laid down with regard to the resignation of president and vice president of Zilla Panchayats.