The Chhattisgarh High Court Division Bench on Monday directed continuance of stay on 58 per cent of reservation in government jobs in the State. The Court, in October last year had stayed the new reservation policy of the State which was seen as a severe blow to one of the most ambitious schemes since the Congress Government came to power in State.

 

It may be recalled that several petitions have been filed in the Chhattisgarh High Court challenging the recent increase in total reservation in the Government jobs from 58 percent to 72 per cent. The announcement was made on August 15, this year by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel himself while delivering his Independence Day speech. Before the announcement came, the Other Backward Class (OBC)s and The Scheduled Caste (SC)s were getting 14 per cent and 12 percent reservation, respectively, in educational institutions and Government jobs in Chhattisgarh, while the STs had 32 per cent quota.

 

After the new reservation policy announcement, 27 per cent reservation will be provided to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 13 per cent to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 32 per cent to the Scheduled Tribes (STs). If a 10 per cent reservation which is provided to the economically weaker sections of the general category people is also added, the total reservation goes up to a total of 82 percent.

 

Though the Government is yet to issue a notification in this regard, an ordinance has already been issued implementing the new reservation policy in Chhattisgarh. While in all the petitions which have been filed in the Chhattisgarh High Court, new reservation policy is under challenge, however, one of the petitions filed by Puneshwar Nath Mishra, Pushpa Devi & others have also demanded constitution of a commission in the State to look after the welfare of higher caste people, commonly known as “Sawarna”. Another petition has been filed by the social activist Kunal Shukla, Navneet Tiwari and Vivek Singh Thakur through Adv Palash Tiwari.