Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Consider Kilvisharam panchayat de-merger: SC

  • tags: no_tag

    • The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu government to consider within three months the representations filed by Kilvisharam villagers for the de-merger of their panchayat from the Melvisharam panchayat of Vellore district and forward the same to the Governor to act upon.
    • In 1996, at the urging of the neighbouring village of Melvisharam, the two villages of Melvisharam and Kilvisharam were merged to form the Melvisharam panchayt. Melvisharam is a much larger community and constitutes 17 wards while Kilvisharam constitutes only four wards. And Melvisharam is a predominantly Muslim majority area whereas Kilvisharam is rural and Hindu, it was averred.
    • It was alleged that when this problem was brought to the notice of the functionaries of the panchayat, they suggested that the inhabitants of Kilvisharam wards convert themselves to Islam. Thus, they were discriminated against on grounds of religion, a violation of Article 15 (1) of the Constitution.