HC notice to govt over BPL quota (general) abolition

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, July 16

The High Court has issued notices to the Centre and the state government on a petition, challenging the action of the government whereby it had abolished the reservation for the general category of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families by merging the category into the EWS for filling Class-I, II, III and IV posts in the state.

Issuing notices, a Division Bench comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice CB Barowalia stayed the requisition sent by the Director, Elementary Education, to the Employment Exchange for 307 posts of TGT Arts, 143 posts of TGT (Non-Medical) and 104 posts of TGT (Medical) till the next date of hearing on July 29.

The court also directed the authorities to file their responses on or before July 29.

The court passed this interim order on a petition filed by Suresh Kumar, belonging to general BPL category, alleging that the state government, without protecting the basic purpose of general BPL category, issued notification on June 11, 2019, for the reservation of the EWS in these posts.

It was further alleged that the respondents had not reserved any post for the BPL general category and created another EWS category. It was further contended that it was only in the BPL general category that the respondents had abolished the reservation, which showed a discrimination only against the candidates belonging to the general BPL category.