In the year 2015, Haryana’s state government prescribed minimum educational qualifications for contesting Panchayat elections in the state. The Supreme Court later upheld this law. Those who did not possess the basic minimum qualifications (Class 10 pass for men, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits) were declared unfit to represent the people in a village. Critics pointed out that this law infringed on the concept of universal suffrage but the SC ignored the criticism. This meant that the State valued education as a criteria for leadership and responsibility.
On Wednesday, 31 May, 2017, Justice Mahesh