The Hindu : National : Plea by Citizens for Equality to be heard on May 8

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Thursday, May 03, 2007
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Plea by Citizens for Equality to be heard on May 8

Legal Correspondent

Citizens for Equality says the present policy suffers from serious infirmities

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday posted for hearing on May 8 a writ petition filed by Citizens for Equality challenging the law providing 27 per cent quota in elite educational institutions.

The apex court has posted for final hearing on May 8 a bunch of petitions questioning the constitutional validity of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006. During mention time on Wednesday, a Bench headed by Justice B.N. Agrawal posted the fresh petition also for hearing on May 8.

Trustees of Citizens for Equality — R.K. Bhatnagar, Sudha Bhattacharya, Varsha Sharma, Arun Attri, — submitted in their petition that the present reservation policy "suffers from serious infirmities, constitutional and legal, and needs to be replaced by a rational policy of affirmative action for uplifting the weaker sections."

The petition said:

"In the present policy, there is no attempt to remove the educational disparities among the Backward Classes, including SCs and STs inter se. It allows only the more advanced and educated sections among them to avail themselves of the benefit of reservations leaving the hindmost uncared for.

"The reservation policy being adopted by the Central Government and various State Governments is arbitrary since it is based on political considerations without collecting and considering relevant data. Continuation of the reservation policy even after 56 years of commencement of the Constitution and further enlarging the policy of reservation to new areas and institutions, is arbitrary inasmuch as it overlooks the need for affirmative action to uplift the weaker sections."

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