Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

            } else {
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<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
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-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &amp;mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &amp;mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote &amp;mdash; from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The founding fathers of the republic, however, preferred to trust the Indian citizen. They also refused to discriminate against candidates for elected office on the basis of their educational qualification, while leaving it open for state legislatures to legislate on the matter. Some criteria have been specified for those who can contest elections but those, as well as the provisions under the Representation of People Act, are aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process. They do not have the effect of narrowing the idea of political representation. Over the decades, Indian elections have grown into an exercise that draws in people across class, caste, ethnic and gender divisions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &amp;mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &amp;mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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-The Indian Express

Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &amp;mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &amp;mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &amp;mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &amp;mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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-The Indian Express

Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &amp;mdash;...&#039;
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-The Indian Express

Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &mdash;..."/>
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                <strong>Against the grain</strong></h1>
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        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it <br /></em><br />The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.<br /><br />Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote &mdash; from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself.<br /><br />The founding fathers of the republic, however, preferred to trust the Indian citizen. They also refused to discriminate against candidates for elected office on the basis of their educational qualification, while leaving it open for state legislatures to legislate on the matter. Some criteria have been specified for those who can contest elections but those, as well as the provisions under the Representation of People Act, are aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process. They do not have the effect of narrowing the idea of political representation. Over the decades, Indian elections have grown into an exercise that draws in people across class, caste, ethnic and gender divisions.<br /><br />The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.<br /><br />Universal adult suffrage privileges the people&rsquo;s choice, rather than facilitating the election of the &ldquo;best&rdquo; candidate. Formal education enables and empowers, but the lawmakers in Haryana, and the court that has endorsed their decision, must ponder whether it can be wielded as an instrument to exclude people from the democratic process. It may be legal to mandate such qualifications for elected representatives, but is it democratic?<br /><br /></div>               </font>
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</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
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<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
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&lt;em&gt;Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it &lt;br /&gt;
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The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &amp;mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &amp;mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;em&gt;Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it &lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

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-The Indian Express

Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &mdash;..."/>
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                <strong>Against the grain</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it <br /></em><br />The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.<br /><br />Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote &mdash; from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself.<br /><br />The founding fathers of the republic, however, preferred to trust the Indian citizen. They also refused to discriminate against candidates for elected office on the basis of their educational qualification, while leaving it open for state legislatures to legislate on the matter. Some criteria have been specified for those who can contest elections but those, as well as the provisions under the Representation of People Act, are aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process. They do not have the effect of narrowing the idea of political representation. Over the decades, Indian elections have grown into an exercise that draws in people across class, caste, ethnic and gender divisions.<br /><br />The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.<br /><br />Universal adult suffrage privileges the people&rsquo;s choice, rather than facilitating the election of the &ldquo;best&rdquo; candidate. Formal education enables and empowers, but the lawmakers in Haryana, and the court that has endorsed their decision, must ponder whether it can be wielded as an instrument to exclude people from the democratic process. It may be legal to mandate such qualifications for elected representatives, but is it democratic?<br /><br /></div>               </font>
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</span></span></code>
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&lt;em&gt;Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &amp;mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &amp;mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote &amp;mdash; from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The founding fathers of the republic, however, preferred to trust the Indian citizen. They also refused to discriminate against candidates for elected office on the basis of their educational qualification, while leaving it open for state legislatures to legislate on the matter. Some criteria have been specified for those who can contest elections but those, as well as the provisions under the Representation of People Act, are aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process. They do not have the effect of narrowing the idea of political representation. Over the decades, Indian elections have grown into an exercise that draws in people across class, caste, ethnic and gender divisions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &amp;mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &amp;mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.&lt;br /&gt;
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Universal adult suffrage privileges the people&amp;rsquo;s choice, rather than facilitating the election of the &amp;ldquo;best&amp;rdquo; candidate. Formal education enables and empowers, but the lawmakers in Haryana, and the court that has endorsed their decision, must ponder whether it can be wielded as an instrument to exclude people from the democratic process. It may be legal to mandate such qualifications for elected representatives, but is it democratic?&lt;br /&gt;
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Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

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Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

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Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

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                <strong>Against the grain</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it <br /></em><br />The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.<br /><br />Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote &mdash; from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself.<br /><br />The founding fathers of the republic, however, preferred to trust the Indian citizen. They also refused to discriminate against candidates for elected office on the basis of their educational qualification, while leaving it open for state legislatures to legislate on the matter. Some criteria have been specified for those who can contest elections but those, as well as the provisions under the Representation of People Act, are aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process. They do not have the effect of narrowing the idea of political representation. Over the decades, Indian elections have grown into an exercise that draws in people across class, caste, ethnic and gender divisions.<br /><br />The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.<br /><br />Universal adult suffrage privileges the people&rsquo;s choice, rather than facilitating the election of the &ldquo;best&rdquo; candidate. Formal education enables and empowers, but the lawmakers in Haryana, and the court that has endorsed their decision, must ponder whether it can be wielded as an instrument to exclude people from the democratic process. It may be legal to mandate such qualifications for elected representatives, but is it democratic?<br /><br /></div>               </font>
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-The Indian Express<br />
<br />
<em>Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it <br />
</em><br />
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.<br />
<br />
Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote &mdash; from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.<br />
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<br />
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Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

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-The Indian Express<br />
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<em>Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it <br />
</em><br />
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates &mdash; Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits &mdash; contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic.<br />
<br />
Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote &mdash; from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself.<br />
<br />
The founding fathers of the republic, however, preferred to trust the Indian citizen. They also refused to discriminate against candidates for elected office on the basis of their educational qualification, while leaving it open for state legislatures to legislate on the matter. Some criteria have been specified for those who can contest elections but those, as well as the provisions under the Representation of People Act, are aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process. They do not have the effect of narrowing the idea of political representation. Over the decades, Indian elections have grown into an exercise that draws in people across class, caste, ethnic and gender divisions.<br />
<br />
The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home &mdash; a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act &mdash; would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office.<br />
<br />
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Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it 

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Against the grain

-The Indian Express Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates — Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits — contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law is discriminatory and undemocratic. Instituting such an exclusionary principle goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly overruled suggestions to limit the right to vote — from the time of its promulgation, the Constitution gave universal adult suffrage as a right to citizens. Fears had been expressed that since the vast majority of Indians was illiterate, allowing everyone to vote would impact the quality of the legislatures, and of democracy itself. The founding fathers of the republic, however, preferred to trust the Indian citizen. They also refused to discriminate against candidates for elected office on the basis of their educational qualification, while leaving it open for state legislatures to legislate on the matter. Some criteria have been specified for those who can contest elections but those, as well as the provisions under the Representation of People Act, are aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process. They do not have the effect of narrowing the idea of political representation. Over the decades, Indian elections have grown into an exercise that draws in people across class, caste, ethnic and gender divisions. The injunction to discriminate against prospective candidates on the basis of their educational qualification or the availability of a working toilet at home — a feature of the Haryana act and also of the Rajasthan panchayat act — would disqualify a significant part of the electorate (24 per cent of Haryana is not literate), and especially those belonging to the marginalised sections, including women and Dalits, from political office. Universal adult suffrage privileges the people’s choice, rather than facilitating the election of the “best” candidate. Formal education enables and empowers, but the lawmakers in Haryana, and the court that has endorsed their decision, must ponder whether it can be wielded as an instrument to exclude people from the democratic process. It may be legal to mandate such qualifications for elected representatives, but is it democratic?