HC issues notice to 8 nominated MLCs, Govt

Rising Kashmir: Jammu: Sunday, 20 September 2015.

Jammu and Kashmir High Court Friday issued notice to eight nominated Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) following a petition filed by a former Upper House legislator.

In his petition, former MLC, C L Dhiman as chairman of J&K OBC Vikas Manch, represented to the Secretary to Governor for consideration of claim of backward classes in nomination for backward classes but contrarily eight members were nominated on party line.

He filed an RTI application seeking information about the qualification and category of persons to which the Governor Secretariat replied that the government has taken a stand that it is permissible to ignore the representation of persons belonging to backward classes yet two people are from backward area as per Reservation Rules 2005 and the information of qualification of other persons has revealed their qualification is lower than the persons shown to be belonging to the persons, seeking direction from the Court to settle the intent of constitution of J&K in relation to constitution of India that whether Reservations Rules 2005 should be standard to fill up the legislative quota meant for backward classes.

Justice Tashi Rabstan of J&K High Court Jammu Wing after hearing counsel for the petitioner issued notice to Secretary to Governor, Secretary to Government, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, J&K Government, Secretary Legislative Council, besides to MLCs including Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, Ashok Khajuria, Vikramaditya Singh, Ramesh Arora, Saif-Ud-din Bhat, Ajatshatru Singh, Mohammad Khurshid Alam and Surinder Mohan Ambardar returnable within four weeks and list immediately after the service is complete.