SRINAGAR, Dec 11: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has issued a notice to the J&K government regarding a petition that challenges the current reservation policy.
The court has requested the government’s response to the appeal, which scrutinizes the existing reservation guidelines in J&K.
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The division bench, consisting of Justice Rajnesh Oswal and Justice Mohd. Yousuf Wani, directed the respondents, which include the J&K government, to submit their replies within three weeks during the hearing of the petition on November 9. The Court also mandated the petitioners to fulfill necessary service steps within one week.
The petition was submitted by Dawar Ali, with support from the Jammu & Kashmir Civil Society, and was represented by the Team JUS Advocates & Solicitors Front from New Delhi, led by Advocate Junaid Mohammad Junaid.
The petition questions the justification of the government’s current reservation policy and seeks its annulment, arguing that it contradicts the principles of rationality and equity. Furthermore, it calls for the establishment of an independent committee to assess and rationalize the reservation system within a designated timeframe, ensuring fairness and transparency in the process.
The subsequent hearing is set for December 27.
Earlier this year, the Union Territory administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, introduced a 10% reservation for the Pahari community. This amendment raised the total reserved seats across different categories to 60%, leaving just 40% available for candidates in the general category. This has led to discontent among Open Merit aspirants who are advocating for a review of the new policy. (Agencies)
