'SC ruling on reservation not a setback to govt'

New Delhi, Oct 16: The government today appeared to be on a collision course with the judiciary on the OBC reservation issue with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi stating that the Standing Committee report would be given to Parliament first and not to the Supreme Court.

''As Parliamentary Affairs Minister, it is my duty to ensure that the Parliamentary Committee report is submitted to Parliament first,'' Mr Dasmunsi told reporters.

The Minister was responding to queries on the Supreme Court ruling earlier in the day on a petition challenging the government decision to provide 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Caste (OBC) students in higher educational institutions, including the premier institutions such as IIMs and IITs.

He rejected a suggestion that the Supreme Court ruling was a setback to the government in the implementation of the OBC reservation policy. ''We will consult the Law Ministry'' before taking a decision on the issue, he said.

Mr Dasmunsi, however, refused to comment on the Gujarat High Court verdict, setting aside the setting up of the U C Banerjee Committee which had submitted its report on the Sabarmati Express fire at Godhra terming the breakout of the fire as an accident.

UNI