Govt to move apex court on sub-quota order

May 30, 2012

salman

New Delhi, May 30: The Centre will move the Supreme Court against the order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court striking down provision to provide 4.5 per cent sub-quota for the minorities.

Strongly defending its decision to earmark sub-quota for minorities within the 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in Central educational institutions and jobs, Law Minister Salman Khurshid said on Tuesday that the Centre would file a special leave petition before the apex court at the earliest. “We will address the issue with a sense of urgency.”

The minister was answering questions by journalists over the AP High Court order quashing the Centre’s order on sub-quota for minorities. The High Court had observed that there was no evidence to justify the classification of these religious minorities as a homogeneous group or as more backward classes deserving some special treatment.

The Union government’s order on December 22, 2011, providing the quota within quota had evoked strong criticism as it came just before the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and other states. Khurshid was a strong votary of the decision. While the BJP and other parties had criticised the government’s move, the Left parties had supported it – with the CPM even demanding enhancement of the sub-quota to 10 per cent. States such as Karnataka and Bihar have already provided sub-quota for minorities.

Referring to the HC order, Khurshid said the Centre’s order was not based on religion but it also considered linguistic minority status. He said the HC had rightly stated that community cannot be given reservation only on the basis of religion and added: “Yes in the Constitution you cannot make religion the only criteria for giving reservation to a community. Minority is not just a religion. It is also linguistic. The expression of the word minority is both religious and linguistic.”

Defending the Centre’s decision, he said the move was based on the Mandal Commission report.

He added that the government did not include any new caste from the minorities in the OBC list (basing its report on the 1931 caste census, the Mandal Commission, set up in 1978, submitted its report in 1980, recommending for 27 per cent quota for the OBCs).

On the impact of the HC order on the students – those in Central institutions such as the IITs – Khurshid said Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has informed him that selection process was still on. This is the fourth time that the HC has struck down minority reservation. The court hammer on the order issued by late Rajasekhara Reddy government fulfilling a poll promise by setting aside 5 per cent reservation came within three months saying that it was totally unconstitutional.

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Agencies
May 30,2020

New Delhi, May 30: The Congress on Friday described the first year of the Modi government as a "year of disappointment, disastrous management and diabolical pain".

Congress leader K C Venugopal said the six years of the Modi dispensation have seen fraying of bonds of empathy, fraternity and brotherhood with increase in acts of communal and sectarian violence.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that at the end of six years, it appears the Modi government is at war with its people and is inflicting wounds on them, instead of healing them.

"It is inflicting wounds on Mother India," he said.

"This government is trying to fill coffers of the select rich and is inflicting pain on the poor," Surjewala said.

On the BJP's charge of the Congress playing politics over the COVID-19 crisis, Venugopal said the opposition party did not indulge in any politics and gave suggestions instead.

"Being a responsible opposition, it is our duty to raise the problems faced by the common people. As opposition, we highlighted the failures of the government," he said.

Venugopal said the government "is totally insensitive" to the plight of migrant labourers and farmers.

Surjewala also demanded that a virtual session of Parliament be convened immediately to discuss pressing issues and the due process be set in motion for holding of meetings of various parliamentary committees.

Modi and his cabinet had taken oath on this day last year for a second term in office.

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Agencies
January 21,2020

Pune, Jan 21: The Pune session court on Tuesday rejected the bail application of accused Vikram Bhave in the Dabholkar murder case.
Last year, Pune Sessions Court had granted an extension of 90 days to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a charge-sheet against Bhave.

On August 17, 2019, the court had rejected Bhave's bail plea.

During the course of hearing, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Prakash Suryavanshi, appearing for the CBI, had in June last year contended that Bhave helped the assailants to escape.

The CBI had arrested Bhave and another accused Sanjeev Punalekar from Mumbai on May 25, 2019 in connection with the matter.

Founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), Dabholkar was shot dead by bike-borne assailants while returning home from a morning walk on August 20, 2013. 

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News Network
March 12,2020

New Delhi, Mar 12: TMC MP Saugata Roy said Home Minister Amit Shah should resign for "failing" to control the riots in Delhi and demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

Participating in a discussion on the violence in Delhi in Lok Sabha, Roy said the Delhi riots happened 72 years after Mahatma Gandhi was killed by a Hindu fanatic.

"Gandhiji has been murdered again in Delhi by, you know who," Roy said while addressing the Chair.

Taking on BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi for defending BJP leaders for their controversial remarks, which he claimed instigated the violence, Roy said he has seldom heard such a communal speech ever.

Dubbing the BJP MP as "Devil's Advocate", Roy said, "She spent five minutes defending the most hated man. May I quote (William) Shakespeare and call her the Devil's Advocate?...She is the best Devil's Advocate possible. She has also been an advocate for the Delhi Police which has shown total inaction and ineptness in this whole riot in Delhi."

Thereafter Roy trained his gun at Shah, who was present in the house while the TMC MP was speaking.

He said that when the riots started on February 24, Home Minister Shah was sitting in the front row at Motera Stadium (in Gujarat) welcoming US President Donald Trump.

"When Mr. Shah should have been in Delhi Police control room, he was welcoming Mr. Trump at Motera. There was no order to the police. Then on 25th, things went out of control. Armed mobs fought with each other on the streets of Delhi," Roy said.

Demanding resignation of Shah, Roy raised questions on NSA Ajit Doval's visit to the riots-affected areas on February 26 and asked what was the Home Minister doing.

"Is it NSA's business to control ordinary law and order situation? Why was the Home Minister absent in action? There is no explanation for the same," he said.

The TMC leader said he feels bad standing face-to-face with Shah.

"He is still young, he has a good future. He should acknowledge responsibility for his failure to control or stop Delhi riots and bring peace in three days. In the name of God, go and do not stay in the Home Minister's position," Roy said, adding he is the man who could not prevent riots in Delhi, at a place 10 kilometres away from the Home Ministry.

Roy demanded a judicial inquiry into the riots by a sitting Supreme Court judge and complete rehabilitation for all the riot victims.

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