Hon’ble Surya Prakash Kesarwani, J.—Heard Sri Ashok Khare, learned senior counsel assisted by Sri Siddharth Khare, counsel for the petitioners and Sri Ashok Kumar Pandey, learned Additional Advocate General assisted by Sri J.N.Maurya, learned Additional Chief Standing Counsel for state respondents and Sri Jai Bahadur Singh for respondent Nos. 3 and 4. Other learned counsels for the petitioners appearing in different writ petitions have adopted the arguments advanced by Sri Khare. Sri Naval Singh, learned counsel appears for the petitioner in Writ Petition No. 42526 of 2012, Sri Ashok Kumar Pandey, learned counsel appears for the petitioner in Writ Petitions No. 40433 of 2012, 45634 of 2012 and 45638 of 2012, Sri S.S. Srivastav, learned counsel appears for petitioner in Writ Petition No. 20930 of 2013. Sri Rastrapati Khare appears for the petitioner in Writ Petition No. 61026 of 2012 and Sri Satya Prakash Mishra appears for petitioner in Writ Petition No. 47937 of 2012.

SUBMISSION ON BEHALF OF PETITIONERS

2. Sri Ashok Khare submits as under:

(i) All the local bodies in the State of U.P. are self-independent . Hence, unless power is specially conferred by the relevant statute,