State gets notice for not including Muslims in OBC

Vijay Arora

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Legal Correspondent

Shimla, June 23

The HP High Court today issued notice to the state government on the issue pertaining to the implementation of recommendations made by the Centre and the HP State Commission for Backward Classes for including Muslim sub-caste/communities in the state list of the Other Backward Classes (OBC). The court had directed the state to file its reply within four weeks.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Sandeep Sharma passed the orders on a writ petition filed by the All-Himachal Muslim Welfare Society. The society has alleged in the petition that it has been regularly requesting the state government to include the names of some sub-category and sub-castes/profession of the Muslim categories in the state list of the OBC since 1999. It was also mentioned in the petition that as per recommendation of the 64th State Commission for Backward Classes, there was a claim for the inclusion of the Muslim sub-caste/communities in the state list, i.e Teli, Julaha/Kabir Panthi, Lohar and Jogi.

“But despite various representations made by the society, the Himachal Pradesh Government is not implementing the recommendation made by the Centre and the HP State Commission for Backward Classes for including the Muslim sub-caste/communities in the state OBC list,” reads the petition.