Patanjali Sastri, C.J.-

This is an application under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking protection of the petitioners’ fundamental right under Article 15(1) against alleged violation thereof by the respondents.

The petitioners are three residents of Etah in Uttar Pradesh. They complain that at the by-elections to the Municipal Board of Etah held on 2nd November, 1951, 8th December, 1951 and 17th March, 1952, at which respondents 4, 11 and 12 were respectively elected, the petitioners were deprived of their rights to exercise their votes and to seek their election as candidates, as those by-elections were held on communal lines on the basis of separate electorates contrary to the provisions of the Constitution. They also allege that the nomination of respondent No. 3 as a member, of the Board by the Government was an illegal exercise of its powers, as the interest which that respondent was nominated to represent in the Board was already sufficiently represented. The petitioners accordingly pray for the issue of writs of quo warranto, mandamus, and other appropriate writs or directions to respondents 3, 4, 11 and 12 to show under what authority they are acting as members of the Boa

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