Notices to Haryana CS, KU Registrar on reservation issue

Chandigarh, Jan 19 (UNI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notices for April 20 to Haryana Chief Secretary and the Registrar of Kurukshetra University on a PIL seeking directions to implement classification of reservation for the scheduled castes.

The notices were issued by a division bench of Chief Justice Vijendra Jain and Justice Rajive Bhalla.

The PIL, filed by Hisar-based Haryana Od Mahasabha through its general secretary R S Salanihas pointed out that the Kurukashetra University while making admissions to the Bachelor of Education(B Ed) course this year did not adhere to the classification of scheduled castes for admissions which was illegal and arbitrary.

The petitioner had pointed out that the Haryana government had issued instructions on September 28, 1995 and February 25,1997 classifying the scheduled castes into category ''A'' and category ''B'' for induction in state services.

However, the High Court on July 6, 2006 quashed these instructions as unconstitutional.

However, it has been maintained by the petitioner that the High Court order only quashed the instructions as far as recruitment for government service were concerned and not the admissions to the educational institutions for technical, professional and other courses conducted by various institutes across Haryana.

Kurukshetra University, it was further argued, should have made admissions by implementing the classification of scheduled castes in category A and B, but the university authorities clubbed the two categories for purposes of counseling and admissions.

The petitioner apprehended that other educational institutions offering technical, professional and other courses too could follow Kurukshetra University, hence plea for directions to continue the implementation of classification of SCs as in the past. The Od Mahasabha claimed representation of 36 Scheduled Castes in the state.

UNI