Haryana Backward Classes Act 2016 upheld by high court

The Backward Class Commission is told to decide the issue by Mar 31, 2018.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday upheld the constitutional validity of the Haryana Backward Classes Act 2016.

Lokesh Singhal, Additional Advocate General, said: "The high court said the extent of reservation will be determined by the State Backward Classes Commission on the basis of data submitted either by the state government or collected on its own."

The commission has been given time till March 31, 2018, the period till which the quota will be suspended.

''Till then Reservation granted to caste mentioned in Class-III to remain in abeyance,'' said Singhal.

Haryana government had notified an act for providing quota in services and admission to educational institutions for certain backward classes in the state in March 2016.

The Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Act 2016, passed by the assembly on March 29 last year, provides 10 per cent quota in Class III and IV posts and educational institutions and six per cent quota in Class I and II posts to Jats, Jat Sikhs, Rors, Bishnois, Tyagis and Muslim Jats in Schedule-III.

It also provides for 10 per cent quota in admissions to educational institutions for people of these castes.

As per the notification, 16 per cent reservation has also been provided for Class III and IV posts and 11 per cent in Class I and II posts in schedule I to the people belonging to Backward Classes A category. They would also get 16 per cent quota in admissions to educational institutions.

In 2016, a Bhiwandi resident had filed a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the Haryana government's decision to grant reservation to Jats and five other communities in jobs and educational institutions under the newly created Backward Class C category.

(With agency inputs)