The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan, which heard the PIL, directed the Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department and the State Election Commission to file the reply and also directed the petitioners to file the rejoinder for the response within two weeks.
The PIL was first filed in 2006 and in 2011, a miscellaneous petition was filed by Thol Thirumavalavan, founder of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, and two others.
The petitioners had submitted that instead of providing proportionate reservation to the members of SC, ST community, for the post of chairman of town panchayats and municipalities, the authorities are providing reservation proportionate to the general population in all the town panchayats and the municipalities in the state.
Stating that it was against the provisions pertaining to reservation stipulated in Part IX A of the Constitution, the petitioners prayed for an early date of hearing of the PIL.