A PIL has been filed in the Delhi High Court demanding the enforcement of the Delhi Panchayati Raj Act, 1954, to ensure local self-governance in rural areas of the capital. The Court has sought clarity on whether the Act is still valid and applicable.
New Delhi: On August 27, A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was moved before the Delhi High Court asking for proper implementation of the Panchayati Raj system in the rural parts of Delhi. The case has been filed by Satish Kumar Aggarwal, who earlier served as the vice president of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.
The PIL argues that although Panchayati Raj laws have existed in Delhi for decades, they have never been put into practice, which has denied the people of rural Delhi their right to local self-governance.
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On Tuesday, a Division Bench consisting of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked both the petitioner and the State government to prepare and submit a detailed note explaining the legislative history of Delhi.
The judges also directed them to clarify in the note whether the provisions of the Delhi Panchayat Raj Act are still valid and applicable in Delhi, or whether they have been repealed by later developments.
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In addition, the Court requested the Delhi government’s Standing Counsel, Sameer Vashisht, to confirm whether the Delhi Panchayat Raj Act is still legally in force and applicable to some of the rural areas of Delhi.
The petition highlights that the Panchayati Raj Act has been enforceable in Delhi since 1954. According to the PIL,
“Although the Delhi Panchayati Raj Act has been applicable since 1954, Panchayats have not been constituted in the National Capital Territory of Delhi even after the enactment of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1993, which conferred constitutional status upon Panchayati Raj institutions and mandated a three-tier Panchayati Raj system across all Indian states except Delhi. This omission has resulted in the denial of constitutionally guaranteed local self-governance to rural areas in Delhi.”
The petitioner further submitted that the absence of a Panchayati Raj system has deprived villages in Delhi of their rightful share of development benefits and entitlements.
He therefore urged the Court to intervene and ensure implementation of the Delhi Panchayati Raj Act, 1954, as well as Part IX of the Constitution of India, which deals with the establishment of Panchayats in rural areas across the country.
The matter has now been listed for further hearing on December 10.
Case Title:
Satish Kumar Aggarwal Vs Union of India and Ors.,
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