The action of the respondents, in treating Mangapet Mandal, Warangal District as a “Scheduled Area”, and in reserving all offices of Gram panchayats therein in favour of the Scheduled Tribes, is questioned in these Writ Petitions as being arbitrary, illegal, in violation of Articles 14, 21 and Para 6 (1) of Schedule V to the Constitution of India, and as contrary to the judgment of this Court in W.P. No.1413 of 1973 dated 30.11.1973.

It is the petitioners’ case that Mangapet mandal consists of 23 revenue villages and 80 Gram panchayats which were not declared as “Scheduled Areas” by the President of India under Para 6(1) of the V Schedule to the Constitution; the respondent authorities had reserved the offices of local bodies, in the said villages and Gram Panchayats, in favour of the scheduled tribes in the elections conducted in the year 2006; the validity thereof was challenged in W.P. No.14068 of 2006 wherein an interim order was passed staying the election notification; subsequently W.P. No.14068 of 2006 was dismissed by order dated 03.08.2006, on technical grounds; some of the villagers of Mangapet mandal were earlier issued notices under Regulation 1 of 1970; W.P. No.14