The District Development Officer has disqualified the president of the Gandhidham Taluka Panchayat, following an investigation that confirmed she has three children, in violation of the Gujarat Local Authorities Act 2005.
The matter came to light following a complaint by youth Congress leader Kasam Traya, who alleged that Shantiben Hareshbhai Babariya had not disclosed her third child.
The complaint was initially addressed to the Taluka Development Officer, who delayed submitting a report. Subsequently, the District Development Officer conducted a detailed investigation involving birth records from Gandhidham Municipality and hospital archives.
The investigation revealed that Babariya had declared only two children in her self-declaration during her nomination filing in February 2021. However, birth records confirmed she gave birth to a son in 2021, making her ineligible for the position. Notably, the name of the third child was not registered in official records and several discrepancies, including inconsistencies in the father’s name on the birth register, were uncovered.
The District Health Officer, tasked with further inquiry, examined records at Navjivan Hospital and the Gandhidham Municipality. It was found that no name was registered for the third child in the 2021 birth records, nor was a birth certificate obtained by the parents.
In the final report submitted on January 29, 2024, the District Development Officer confirmed that Babariya, who was elected from the Mithi Rohar seat, had two daughters born in 2008 and 2013 named Ninjal and Shriya, and a son born in 2021. Based on these findings, the officer ordered her disqualification as a member and president of the Gandhidham Taluka Panchayat.
Implemented during Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister, the Act disqualifies individuals with three or more children born after 2006 from contesting local body elections. Families with three or more children born before 2006 are exempt from this rule.
The legislation was implemented across 1,400 Gram Panchayats, 223 Taluka Panchayats and 26 District Panchayats in Gujarat.
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