The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday upheld the Haryana law that ensures 10% reservation to Jats and five other communities. The bench, however, put the law’s implementation on hold till the quantum of reservation is finalised to keep the quota within the limit mandated by the Supreme Court.
The court has referred the petition to the National Commission for Backward Classes, which has till March 31, 2018, to submit a report detailing the quantum of quota for Jats and five other communities in Haryana. The commission can also make suggestions or submit objections to the figures by November 30.
The Haryana Assembly had passed the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in services and admission in educational institutions) Bill, 2016, in March 2016. The High Court’s Justice SS Saron and Justice Lisa Gill on Friday held that the state government had passed the Bill without any adequate data, News18 reported.
Jats want reservation in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Classes category. In February 2016, the protests launched to demand the quota had turned violent. Thousands of Jats had blocked highways and burnt public property worth crores. At least 30 people had died and more than 300 people had been injured during the agitation between February 18 and February 23 in 2016. Several protestors were arrested for the violence.
Those spearheading the movement not only want the government to grant them reservation, but also want those who had been arrested to be freed and cleared of charges. They have also asked the state government to provide jobs to family members of those who had been killed during the protests.
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