Guj HC reserves order on 10% EWS reservation
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Monday reserved its order on four petitions challenging the state government’s ordinance providing 10% reservation to members of the economically weaker sections from the unreserved category.
Petitioners Dayaram Verma, Ravjibhai Manani, Dulari Basarge and Gujarat Parents’ Association had separately challenged the May 1 ordinance announcing reservation of 10% seats to candidates belonging to the unreserved category with family income cap of `6 lakh annually in government jobs and educational institutions.
The petitioners submitted that the reservation violates the Supreme Court’s order providing 50% ceiling for reservation as per the Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case.
They said that additional 10% reservation further reduced the number of seats in educational institutions for candidates from the unreserved category with annual family income of more than `6 lakh. They said the provision violates the Constitution as Article 46, which is about the directive principles of state policy, does not allow quota beyond the 50% cap.
The government pleader contended that the reservation is actually “a further classification in the general, open, unreserved category” and does not violate either the SC order or constitutional provisions.
The state government, in its affidavit before the HC, said the ordinance does not violate provisions of the Constitution nor does it go against the Supreme Court orders. Members of the Kole Basava community are demanding housing and basic amenities from the Karnataka government. Kole Basavas are a part of local tradition and folklore, with trained and heavily decorated bulls asked questions about the future and offerings of money and food provided to the bulls in return for a nod of its head in response.