Sc stalls AP move on 5% reservation for Muslims

Author: Times News Network
Publication: The Times of India
Date: January 5, 2006

Giving a virtual thumbs down to the potent mix of vote-bank politics and reservations, the supreme court on
Wednesday stalled the controversial Andhra Pradesh law providing a 5% quota for Muslims in jobs and admissions to schools and colleges.

As an interim measure, it gave effect to the high court judgment quashing the reservation law, but protected those already appointed to government jobs or admitted to educational institutions on that basis, saying, "They will not be thrown out."

But the importance of the issue, which has led to an intense debate within the Indian polity, was not lost on the bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabhaiwal, Justices C K Thakker and R V Raveendran. It admitted the state government's appeal challenging the high court order and referred it for adjudication by a five-judge constitution bench.

A jubilant BJP termed this the "fourth consecutive slap" on the AP government's face. It accused the Y S R Reddy government of wanting to appease Muslims with vote bank politics without providing any concrete measures for their upliftment. The order, although interim in nature, could have a cascading effect on other state governments and dampen their attempts to provide quotas for Muslims in government jobs.

The HC had quashed the law giving a 5% quota to Muslims, which was enacted to fulfill the pre-poll promise of the Congress. However, it had stayed the order to allow the state to move the SC in appeal.

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