The collective has asked the Centre to pass a legislation to overturn the ruling by a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
A collective of various Adivasi-Dalit organisations will organise a Statewide hartal in Kerala on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) in protest against the Supreme Court ruling that permits sub-classification within reservation categories for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The protest is part of the nationwide bandh called by Bahujan organisations against the recent verdict by the apex court, which held that States have a right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes notified in the Presidential List with an objective to provide them ”more” preferential treatment in public employment and education.
However, Wayanad district has been exempted from the hartal in view of the recent landslide disaster.
The collective has asked the Centre to pass a legislation to overturn the ruling by a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.
M. Geethanandan, chairperson of the Dalit-Adivasi-Women-Citizens’ Rights Collective, said here on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) that additions, deletions and changes in the SC/ST List notified by the President of India under the Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution can be made only by Parliament. By delivering a judgment that permits sub-classification within the reservation categories, the Supreme Court has in fact cancelled the powers of the President and Parliament to make inclusions or exclusions in the Scheduled Castes List, he said.
The collective also blamed the Centre for “not giving clarity” on overturning the Supreme Court verdict, though it had stated that there there was no provision for a creamy layer in the reservation for SCs and STs in the Constitution.
It has also opposed the decision by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to advertise vacancies for 45 posts, including Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries in different Central Ministries through the lateral entry mode. Such a move is against the Constitution and it will snatch away the opportunities for the youth, it said.
The collective has also demanded a comprehensive caste census at the national level.
