The Supreme Court Today (April 4th) overturned the Bombay High Court’s ruling to revoke the caste certificate of Navneet Kaur Rana, the current Member of Parliament representing the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra.
“If not for giving representation to Scheduled Castes, I would have been elevated maybe two years later,” : Supreme Court Justice BR Gavai emphasized the role of reservation and affirmative action in elevating marginalized individuals in India’s government. He credited his own advancement to these principles and highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusion in the judiciary. Justice Gavai also addressed challenges such as media manipulation and emphasized the CJI’s duty to provide equal leadership.
On 29th February,The Madras High Court has nullified the provisional recruitment of 245 civil judges in Tamil Nadu, citing violation of reservation rules. The court directed the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission to revise the list within two weeks, addressing the flawed recruitment process and emphasizing adherence to reservation norms. The decision follows a series of writ petitions challenging the recruitment process’s flaws.
The President of SCBA, Adish Aggarwala, Today assured the Delhi High Court of a general body meeting within two months to discuss amending rules to reserve two Executive Committee positions for female lawyers. This comes after a plea was dismissed by Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain, urging SCBA to arrange the meeting for gender representation concerns.
The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, rejected a plea for reserved seats in the Lok Sabha for individuals with disabilities, questioning the need for disclosing disability status in nomination forms. The court deemed it a policy matter and dismissed the petition, filed by Jayant Raghav. The Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s bicameral parliament.
Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court withdrew from hearing a petition urging the SCBA to allocate at least two positions for female lawyers in its Executive Committee. Advocate Yogamaya MG initiated the plea, emphasizing the need for women’s representation in decision-making roles within the legal community to address sexual harassment effectively.
The former Congress-led Government in Punjab is advocating for the classification of Balmikis and Mazhabis (Sikhs) as Maha Dalits, despite facing opposition. The state government also opposes reservation benefits for IAS and IPS officers’ children, emphasizing the need to uplift the socially and economically disadvantaged. The Supreme Court is engaged in a significant dialogue on the fairness and effectiveness of reservation policies in India.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has implemented a three-stage scrutiny process for disability certificates to prevent fraud and ensure accountability in public employment. The initiative includes horizontal reservation for Persons with Disabilities, addressing backlogs in appointments and revisiting entitlements for visually impaired individuals. The court also emphasized the need for timely selection processes and technological advancements in the review system.