SC quashes reservation based promotion for SC/ST in Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi, Apr 27 (ANI): In a major jolt to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, the Supreme Court on Friday quashed the reservation based promotion for socially backward classes (SC/ST) in the state.

Discussing the Supreme Court's verdict in New Delhi on Friday, advocate Sanjeev Kumar said reservation would no longer be a criterion for promotion and it would now take place on the basis of seniority.

"The Supreme Court has quashed the rule 8A and also quashed the reservation in promotion. Now there will be one seniority list and the promotion will be given according to the seniority list so the judgment of the Lucknow bench has been upheld by the Supreme Court," said Sanjeev Kumar, an advocate.

"The judgment of the Allahabad High Court has been set aside by the Supreme Court because it had, on the first day of hearing, upheld the rule 8A and without calling counter affidavit from the respondents so the Supreme Court has set aside the judgment of the Allahabad High Court," added Kumar.

He further condemned the introduction of the reservation policy by Mayawati in 2008 and said that all top posts were filled by SC/ST's and they were given undue favour.

"See in the state of UP there was 21 percent reservation for scheduled castes and two percent for scheduled tribes. So according to the reservation policy and the quota for the SC/ST they were getting but what happened in 2007 again this Mayawati government introduced rule 8A means the consequential seniority so the SC/ST were entitled for consequential seniority also," Kumar said.

The verdict has come as a blow to Mayawati who had implemented the policy.

The order of providing consequential promotion to SC/ST persons was issued by Mayawati in 2008 and it was quashed by the Allahabad High Court after which her government moved to the apex court.

In 2011, the Allahabad High Court had scrapped the policy after several writ petitions by individuals and organisations were filed.

Soon a Special Leave Petition (SLP) was filed in the apex court.

As many as two hundred thousand officers and employees in 56 government departments such as power and irrigation bore the brunt as they waited for the apex court's verdict.

The newly elected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minsiter Akhilesh Yadav had also stood against such reservation and dubbed it as 'unnecessary'. (ANI)