The Gujarat High Court has dismissed a petition filed by Congress councillor Mohammad Ilyaskhan Pathan seeking representation for opposition councillors in various committees of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

Pathan had filed the petition against the AMC and Mayor Hitesh Barot, arguing that opposition councillors had not been given adequate representation in the civic body's committees.

Congress Councillor Cites 32 Opposition Members

The petition submitted that the AMC has 192 councillors, of whom 160 belong to the ruling party and 32 are from the opposition.

According to the petitioner, despite the opposition having representation in the civic body, its councillors had not been adequately included in various municipal committees.

The plea therefore sought directions from the High Court to ensure representation for opposition councillors on these committees.

Government Says No Mandatory Provision

The state government opposed the petition, arguing that the applicable laws and statutory provisions do not make it mandatory to include opposition councillors in municipal committees.

The government further contended that being a member of the opposition does not, by itself, create a legal right to obtain a seat on a municipal committee.

High Court Rejects Plea

After considering the submissions and relevant legal provisions, the High Court did not accept the contention that representation of opposition councillors on various AMC committees was legally mandatory.

The court consequently dismissed Pathan's petition, leaving the demand for mandatory opposition representation in the municipal committees without judicial relief.