UP scraps SC/ST promotion quota
In a late-night decision on Friday, the Akhilesh Yadav government has decided to remove the reservation system from promotion.
The Supreme Court has already upheld the Allahabad high court’s verdict to quash provision of reservation Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) officers and employees in promotions.
The state Cabinet, by circulation, approved an ordinance to repeal the existing rule related to reservation in promotions. A formal proposal will be later placed before the Assembly session, expected to be held in second week of May for approval.
The Supreme Court on April 30 had upheld the high court order to scrap quota in promotions.
The legal battle on the issue had started soon after Ms Mayawati became chief minister in 2007. The BSP government decided to implement the quota for SC/ST in recruitment as well as in promotions.
The order was challenged in the high court by a section of employees who were adversely affected by it.
The high court had last year quashed the provision, describing quota in promotion as unconstitutional. The Mayawati government, however, challenged the high court order in the top court.
Meanwhile, when the Supreme Court upheld the high court order, BSP president Mayawati — now a member of the Rajya Sabha — raised the issue in Parliament and sought an amendment in the constitutional provision to provide quota to SC/ST in promotions. Even as Ms Mayawati continues to mount pressure on the UPA government, the Akhilesh Yadav government in UP has gone ahead and implemented the SC order. Sources, however, said that those SC/ST employees and officers who have already been promoted during Ms Mayawati’s rule would not be demoted since the SO order was not being implemented with retrospective effect. About two lakh government employees in the SC/ST category, who got seniority due to reservation promotion, will remain where they are. The decision of not allowing quota in promotions from now onwards would affect around 20 lakh government personnel belonging to the general and OBC category. Employees opposing quota in promotions had threatened to hold agitation over the delay in implementation of the order.
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