Press Trust Of India

Hyderabad, Feb 8

A Constitution bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court today struck down a state law providing 4 per cent reservation in educational institutions and jobs to 15 groups belonging to the Muslim community. The order was passed by the seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Anil Ramesh Dave on a petition filed by an advocate K Kondala Rao. Soon after the court’s order, Chief Minister K Rosaiah directed the state advocate general D S R Murthy to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the verdict. “The state government is committed to providing 4 per cent reservation to backward class Muslims in the state,” he said in a statement. The court, in its order, set aside the state act and a subsequent 2007 government order allocating 4 per cent reservation to the Muslim groups in educational institutions and jobs. Earlier, the state had moved a bill in the Assembly on the basis of a report submitted to it by the Andhra Pradesh Commission for Backward Classes. The bill was later passed by the Assembly. The report had recommended that the socially and educationally backward should be adequately represented in the state. The government order (GO) was issued on July 7, 2007 providing for the quota to the Muslim groups.

WB Opts For Quota For Muslims In Govt Jobs From Agencies Kolkata, Feb 8 On a day when the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down job reservation for Muslims, the West Bengal government today announced 10 per cent quota in employment for the community under the OBC category. The state government declared the quota for the Muslims who were educationally, socially and economically backward in the state. “We have decided to accept the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission and will take steps to implement it,” Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told newsmen at the state secretariat without waiting for the Centre’s decision on the report. He said like other states there was reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs in the state. The government, he said, had begun the process of identifying Muslims who were educationally, socially and economically backward. There was 7 per cent reservation for OBCs in the state. “After identification, we will provide reservation to them under the OBC category,” the Chief Minister said. Earlier in the day, a Constitution bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down a state law providing 4 per cent reservation in educational institutions and jobs to 15 groups belonging to the Muslim community. Soon after the court’s order, Chief Minister K Rosaiah directed the state advocate general D S R Murthy to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the verdict. On February 1, the ruling Left Front had endorsed the Ranganath Mishra panel recommendations for job reservation for minorities. Left Front Chairman Biman Bose had said that reservation was wanted for socially and economically backward Muslims and not on the basis of religion. The announcement for reservation comes ahead of elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and 82 municipalities in May-June this year which are seen as the ‘semi-final’ before next year’s assembly polls in the state.