The Orissa High Court on Monday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to submit an affidavit detailing the reservation policy to be adopted for the upcoming panchayat elections in the State. The direction came from a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice S Muralidhar while holding preliminary hearings of a writ petition challenging the Government’s notification issued in this connection on October 1, 2021. The petitioner has stated that the notification issued by the Panchayati Raj Secretary, if implemented, will completely take away the Constitutional and other statutory rights of SC and ST people. The notification is “also contrary to the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act of 1992, which came into effect in April 1993”, the petition said. “Among other anomalies, the notification is aimed at changing the percentage of reservation of the seats for SC and ST candidates and it will also alter the rotation principle of reservation of seats,” informed the petitioner’s counsel Sukanta Dalei. He said the court fixed December 20 for the next hearing and the SEC was asked to submit its affidavit by December 14.