The Punjab and Haryana High Court today upheld the constitutional validity of the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Act 2016, that provides for 10 per cent quota to six communities, including Jats.
The High Court, however, kept the provision for reservation in abeyance and referred the case to the Backward Class Commission which will have to submit its report on the percentage of quota by March 2018.
“Punjab & Haryana HC directed state govt to place before Backward Class Commission data collected by it or commission will collect data on basis of which percentage to which extent reservation is to be granted to be determined,” Assistant Advocate General, Haryana, Lokesh Singhal told news agency ANI.
He further informed that the Backward Class Commission has to decide the issue by March 31, 2018. “Reservation granted to caste mentioned in Class-III to remain in abeyance till then,” Singhal said.
The development follows violent protests in Haryana by the Jat community in February 2016 over their demands for reservation in jobs and educational institutions bringing the state to a virtual halt.
The agitation then had left several people dead and many others injured. Massive loss to public property was also reported during the protests besides bringing traffic on major highways passing through the state to a grinding halt.
In March 2016, the Haryana Assembly passed the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Act 2016, carving out a new BC (C) category which included the communities of Jat, Jat Sikh, Muslim-Jat, Bishnoi, Ror and Tyagi. The act made provisions for reservations to these six communities.
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