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Major blow to Andhra govt

DNMUM162419 | 2/9/2010 | Author : KV Ramana | WC :424 | Politics & Governance

Court quashes 4% quota for Muslims
7-member bench says no reservations on basis of religion
The Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday quashed four per cent reservation for Muslims in educational institutions and jobs. A seven-member bench hearing the issue maintained that reservations cannot be provided on the basis of religion, dealing a major blow to the state government.
The bench headed by chief justice AR Dave also ruled that there was no constitutional provision for such a reservation.
However, it kept valid the admissions made into educational institutions sine 2007 on the basis of the quota.
Caught in a bind, chief minister K Rosaiah has asked the advocate general to explore the possibility of filing a special leave petition in the Supreme Court to appeal against the HC order. "There will be no going back on the Congress government's resolve to provide reservation for the backward within the Muslim community,'' said information minister J Geeta Reddy. "We will take all steps to overcome legal hurdles,'' she added.
The government has been pursuing reservation for Muslims since 2004. It was part of former chief minister YSR Reddy's election promise to the community and it topped his agenda till his death last year.
Earlier in 2004, the HC had quashed five per cent reservation to Muslims cleared by the government. In 2005, based on the socio-economic survey of its committee, headed by bureaucrat P Krishnan, the government issued an ordinance providing five per cent reservation. It was cleared by t...

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