RESERVATION - 2006 - Indian Social Institute

New Delhi, April 10: The Cabinet Secretariat has returned the draft bill on reservation for OBCs in Centraleducational institutions to the Union human resources development (HRD) ministry in view of the currentround of Assembly elections in some states. According to official sources, it was felt that since the electionprocess was on, such a major measure would violate the model code of conduct. However, sources saidthat there were no drawbacks in the proposal. HRD ministry officials, however, stated that they had noknowledge of this development. "The draft bill had been sent by the HRD ministry to the CabinetSecretariat earlier. It will be placed before the Cabinet for approval and after that it may also be placedbefore Parliament when the House reconvenes on May 10," a HRD ministry source said. Asserting thatthere was no violation of the model code of conduct, HRD minister Arjun Singh, in his reply to the EC onSunday, had stated that the proposal is before the Union Cabinet which is yet to decide on the matter.Even as the HRD ministry’s draft bill on reservation is being hotly debated in official circles in New Delhi,directors of the six Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) met in Ahmedabad on Monday to discuss agamut of issues, including that of the proposed quota for OBCs. "The reservation issue did come up fordiscussion, but we will formulate our stand once the government issues the formal orders," the director ofone of the IIMs told this newspaper. "Various possibilities were discussed but we cannot disclose more asof now," the official said. According to sources, the IIMs are worried about erosion of their brand equityand a possible lowering of academic standards if half of all students gain admission through reservations.IIM faculty, students and aspirants are agitated over the HRD ministry’s move to introduce reservation forOBCs saying this will be a setback for merit. (Asian Age 12/4/06)Ex-Chief Justice: quota Bill illegal, so is amendment (25)NEW DELHI, April 13: Former Chief Justice of India Justice R C Lahoti, who presided over theseven-judge Supreme Court bench in the Inamdar case and ruled against quotas in private colleges, hasbroken his silence to slam HRD Minister Arjun Singh’s move to bring a Bill for 27% OBC quotas in Centralinstitutions. “The proposed law will violate the Constitution and the principles laid down (in a series ofSupreme Court rulings),” Justice Lahoti told The Indian Express today. Asked about the Constitutionalamendment, Article 15(5), which was passed this January to enable the Government to impose quotas, hesaid: “Maybe that itself will be struck down. The ball will be in the court’s court now.” This is an echo ofwhat another former Chief Justice of India, Justice V N Khare had told The Indian Express last week.Justice Khare had presided over the bench in the Pai and the Islamic Academy cases on quotas forminority institutions. The proposed bill is based on that amendment which gives the state the power tomake any special provision, “by law” for the advancement of any socially and educationally backwardclasses of citizens. Justice Lahoti’s bench was set up to explain what Justice Khare’s 11-judge bench hadruled in the TMA Pai Foundation case (October 31, 2002) and his five-judge bench in the IslamicAcademy case (August 14, 2003). (Indian Express 14/4/06)Students protest against quota (25)New Delhi, April 17: Students from various educational institutions of the capital held a protest against theUnion government’s proposal of 49.5 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes andother backward classes at Jantar Mantar with black ribbons tied to their arms. Like their counterparts allover the country, they observed April 17 as Black Day.Around 200 students from Delhi University, IndianInstitute of Technology and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University started their protest at 11.30 amthat continued till 2.00 pm. They shouted slogans against the government’s decision to implement the 49.5per cent reservation policy. "Instead of discriminating against us, the government should give free goodeducation to the other backward castes and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes at the primary level,so that they are able to compete with others as equals," said Mr Aditya Raj, member of United Students, ajoint forum for students. "This is an injustice against us. We will not leave any stone unturned to stop thegovernment from adopting this reservation policy," said Anil, another protester. The students will hold aprotest march on April 19 in which students from outside Delhi will also take part. The protest has beennamed Project 19. (Asian Age 19/4/06)Private sector quotas not acceptable: CII (25)New Delhi: The Confederation of Indian Industry on Thursday strongly objected to mandatory reservationof jobs in the private sector for the socially underprivileged while BRP leader and grandson of the late B.R.Ambedkar, Mr Prakash Ambedkar, asked the government to make public the non-performing assets(NPA) of industrial champions opposing the quota. Mr Ambedkar, a former Lok Sabha member, also