Rajasthan Minister appeals to people to hold peaceful 'Bharat Bandh', says "Traffic system should remain smooth"
Aug 21, 2024
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 21 : Rajasthan's Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Law Minister Jogaram Patel appealed to the people to hold a peaceful 'Bharat Bandh'.
The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti announced Bharat Bandh on August 21 as a mark of protest against the Supreme Court's ruling on SC/ST reservations.
Patel said Rajasthan will follow the decision taken by the Supreme Court and the decision taken by the Central Government and no one should face any problem.
"Rajasthan will follow the decision taken by the Supreme Court and the decision taken by the Central Government. BJP and our government will take a decision keeping in mind the interests of all reserved classes. As far as Bharat Bandh is concerned, I appeal to the people to put forward their point but people should not be troubled, the traffic system should remain smooth, no one should face any problems and they should put forward their point in a peaceful manner," the Rajasthan Minister said.
Most of the markets and business establishments were closed in Jaipur due to the call 'Bharat Bandh' by the SC/ST category across the country in protest against the Supreme Court's decision on the creamy layer and sub-classification in SC/ST reservation.
Police and security arrangements were also tightened in the city, additional police force was deployed at major intersections and markets.
The apex court in a landmark ruling on August 1, ruled that states have the power to sub-classify SCs and STs and said that the authority concerned, while deciding if the class is adequately represented, must calculate adequacy based on effective and not quantitative representation.
The Supreme Court ruled by a majority judgement of 6:1, that sub-classification within the SCs and STs reservation is permissible. As many as six separate opinions were delivered in the case.
The judgement was delivered by the seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, which overruled earlier judgement in the EV Chinnaiah matter, which had held that sub-classification was not permissible because SC/STs form homogenous classes.
Besides CJI Chandrachud, other judges on the bench were Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Satish Chandra Sharma.
Justice BR Gavai suggested that the state evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer, even from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to exclude them from the benefit of affirmative action.
Justice Bela M Trivedi, in a dissenting opinion, said that she disagreed with the majority judgement that sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes is permissible.