HC stays Himachal notification barring ASHA workers from Panchayat elections after observing prima facie that they are not government employees and cannot be disqualified under the Panchayati Raj Act. A division bench of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma Wednesday stayed a notification issued by the Himachal Pradesh government barring the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers from contesting the Gram Panchayat elections. The order came in response to the petitions filed by the workers challenging the notification, maintaining that they did not fall in the category of permanent or contractual government employees. The notification from the state issued last month put the ASHA workers in the category of government employees, who were not allowed to participate in the Panchayat elections. The HC also issued notices to the state and the State Election Commission. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on June 1.…