JUDGMENT

The petitioner is a member of the Poomangalam Grama Panchayat. He has filed this writ petition aggrieved by the decision taken by the Kerala State Election Commission to reserve the office of President of Poomangalam Grama Panchayat in favour of women. It is contended that in the elections held in 1995 after the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act was enacted and brought into force, the office of President was reserved in favour of the Scheduled Castes and that in the elections held in the year 2005 the office of President was reserved in favour of women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and therefore for the ensuing elections, the office of President of Poomangalam Grama Panchayat should not have been reserved in favour of the Scheduled Castes or women candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes or in favour of women. The petitioner contends that the State Election Commission has confined the rotation contemplated in section 153 (4)(d) of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act in one Block Panchayat and not in the entire district and therefore the decision of the State Election Commission is liable to be set aside.

2. Sri Murali Purushothaman, learned standing counsel appearing for the State E