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SC/ST Reservation
In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court has said religious conversions undertaken solely to avail reservation benefits without genuine belief amounted to a "fraud on the Constitution". Justices Pankaj Mithal and R Mahadevan passed the verdict on November 26 in a case filed by one C Selvarani and upheld a Madras High Court decision of January 24 denying a scheduled caste certificate to a woman who converted to Christianity but later claimed to be a Hindu to secure employment benefits. Justice Mahadevan, who wrote the 21-page verdict for the bench, further underscored that one converted to a different religion, when they were genuinely inspired by its principles, tenets and spiritual thoughts. "However, if the purpose of conversion is largely to derive the benefits of reservation but not with any actual belief in the other religion, the same cannot be permitted, as the extension of benefits of reservation to people with such ulterior motives will only defeat the social ethos of th
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday backed the day-long Bharat Bandh called by some groups over community-based reservation, noting that "public movements" put a check on "unbridled government". The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister took to social media platform X to share his views on the issue. "The mass movement to protect reservation is a positive effort. It will instill new consciousness among the exploited and deprived and will prove to be a shield of people's power against any kind of tampering with reservation. Peaceful movement is a democratic right," he posted in Hindi. "Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar had already warned that the Constitution will only work if the intentions of those implementing it are correct. When the governments in power will tamper with the Constitution and the rights given by it through fraud, scams and scandals, then the public will have to take to the streets. Public movements put a check on unbridled government," Yadav ...
SP president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday attacked the ruling BJP amid the controversy over sub-classification and creamy layer in SC-ST reservation and alleged the BJP government always tries to weaken the fight for reservation through its vague statements and lawsuits. Yadav wrote on 'X' in Hindi, "The main objective of any kind of reservation should be the empowerment of the neglected society, not the division or disintegration of that society, this violates the basic principle of reservation itself." The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was apparently referring to the recent Supreme Court judgment allowing sub-classifications within the Scheduled Castes (SCs). "The discrimination and unequal opportunities that have been going on for countless generations cannot be bridged by the changes that have come in a few generations," he said in the same post. "'Reservation' is the constitutional way to empower and strengthen the exploited, deprived society, this is what will bring about .
BJP president J P Nadda on Friday accused the Congress of seeking to snatch the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs to benefit Muslims, alleging that it is the hidden agenda of the opposition party. Continuing with the BJP's attempts to project the Congress as a party championing interests of Muslims at the cost of traditionally deprived Hindu groups, Nadda said the opposition party has long been making the grounds for the minority community to be declared as SCs and give them reservation. He issued a video statement as the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls got underway. Nadda cited the then prime minister Manmohan Singh's 2006 statement of minorities, especially Muslims, having the first rights on the country's resources and added that he made similar comments in April 2009. The Congress has accused the BJP of selectively quoting Singh and claimed that the ruling party has resorted to spreading falsehoods and communal division for polarisation during the elections due to a lack of publi
Senior politicians, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, paid tributes to prominent Dalit leader and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram on his birth anniversary on Friday. "Humble tributes to Kanshi Ram, who fought throughout his life for the rights and overall development of the Dalits, the deprived and the exploited, on his birth anniversary," Adityanath said in a post in Hindi on X. Paying tributes to her mentor, BSP supremo Mayawati said in a post in Hindi on X: "Immense reverence and respect to honourable Kanshi Ram, who gave strength to the caravan of self-respect that was scattered after the demise of B R Ambedkar, on his 90th birthday. The missionary goal of social transformation and economic progress he achieved for the 'Bahujan samaj' by establishing the Bahujan Samaj Party and obtaining the master key of power in Uttar Pradesh through his continuous struggle is historic and incomparable." She added that it will be a true tribute to Kanshi Ram
The Karnataka Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a Bill enhancing reservation for SC/STs in government educational institutions and State government services. The Bill proposes to increase the quota for the Scheduled Castes from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from three per cent to seven per cent. The Bill aims to replace the ordinance passed by the government in October this year. Welcoming the Bill, the Opposition said the new reservation policy would not benefit the targeted people as government jobs have been curtailed due to privatisation. The Opposition said the government should make provision for reservation in the private sector too.
The Jharkhand government on Wednesday gave its nod to a proposal for granting 77 per cent reservation in state government jobs for the members of the SC, ST, backward classes, OBC and economically weaker sections, an official said. The state cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, hiked the OBC reservation to 27 per cent from the present 14 per cent. The Hemant Soren-led UPA government on Wednesday also gave its nod to a proposal to use the 1932 land records to determine those who are local inhabitants. The decision was taken in the backdrop of tribals' demand that the last land survey conducted by the British government in 1932 be used as the basis for defining locals. The developments come amid a political crisis in Jharkhand over the threat to Chief Minister Hemant Soren of his disqualification as an MLA in an office-of-profit case. "The Cabinet has given nod to a reservation bill for amendment in Jharkhand Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services Ac