The Rajasthan panchayati raj ordinance, which makes it mandatory for candidates to have certain educational qualifications, has been listed for hearing in the Supreme Court on January 5, according to social activist Aruna Roy, who is among the petitioners.

Judicial and social activists have opposed the temporary legislation on the ground that the ordinance will exclude about 80 per cent of the rural populace from the poll process as the literacy level in Rajasthan is low.

In a statement released on Friday, Roy said: "The Registrar Judicial-I has telephonically informed that the Chief Justice of India is pleased to list the matter on 5th of January. Therefore, the petitioners have moved the Court diligently and before the onset of the election process. The notification for election has not been issued till today (Friday), and comes into force only tomorrow. Any action to be taken now by the Rajasthan Government must be carefully circumspect and in deference to the judicial process which has been set into motion.”

Over a 100 citizens had written an open letter to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje last week, seeking withdrawal of the “discriminatory” ordinance that “abrogates their constitutional right to contest elections.”

Roy, who has been working for long in Rajasthan, said the people of State will oppose this arbitrary requirement and hoped that the “Rajasthan Government will not do anything which may have the effect of rendering the petition infructuous. The State Government ought not to take advantage of the court holidays," she said in a statement.

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