Archive · 31 Oct 2025
Telangana High Court Upholds Two-Child Norm for Local Body Elections
A rule in Telangana says that if you want to be a leader in your village, you can only have two children.
Some people didn't think this rule was fair and took it to court.
They said that the law allowing this rule wasn't properly approved.
The judges looked at the rule and said it's okay.
They mentioned that a higher court had already decided that rules like this are allowed and don't break people's basic rights.
The judges also said that people don't automatically have the right to run for elections.
Because of this, the court decided to keep the rule, and the people who challenged it lost their case.
The court also dismissed another case about a nomination for a special election, saying that such issues should be handled after the election is over.
The Telangana High Court dismissed a petition challenging the two-child norm for panchayat elections.
The court upheld the validity of Section 21(3) of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, which disqualifies individuals with more than two children from contesting.
Petitioners argued the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act did not receive presidential assent, unlike a similar act in Haryana.
The court cited a Supreme Court ruling in 'Javed vs. State of Haryana' stating that the right to contest elections is not a fundamental right.
The High Court reaffirmed the constitutional validity of the two-child norm for local body elections.
- Who
- Telangana High Court division bench
- What
- Dismissed a writ petition challenging the two-child norm for contesting local body elections.
- When
- Thursday
- Where
- Telangana High Court
- Why
- The court upheld the validity of the provision, citing a Supreme Court ruling that the right to contest elections is not a fundamental right and that such disqualifications do not infringe upon fundamental freedoms.
Petitioners' Argument
Court's Ruling
Validity of Telangana Panchayat Raj Act
Petitioners' Argument
The Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, and its two-child norm provision are unconstitutional because the Act only received the Governor's assent, not the President's, unlike the Haryana Act.
Court's Ruling
The court found no merit in the argument regarding assent, upholding the constitutional validity of the two-child norm based on existing Supreme Court precedent.
Nature of Right to Contest Elections
Petitioners' Argument
The two-child norm infringes upon the right to contest elections.
Court's Ruling
The right to contest elections is not a fundamental right, and disqualifications based on the two-child norm do not violate fundamental freedoms.
- Court
- Telangana High Court
- Date
- Thursday
- Act Mentioned
- Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018
- Challenged Provision
- Section 21(3) (two-child norm)
- Supreme Court Precedent
- Javed vs. State of Haryana (2003)
