Uttarakhand High Court Questions 10% Quota for Statehood Agitators

The Uttarakhand High Court has sought a reply from the state government on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the legality of a law that grants 10% reservation in government jobs to individuals who participated in the statehood movement and their dependents. The court asked the government for data supporting the quota decision while refusing to stay the act for now.

The Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the constitutionality of an act that provides a 10% reservation in government jobs to statehood agitators and their dependents.

The legislation, passed by the state assembly and signed into law by Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh in August this year, has come under scrutiny. Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Alok Kumar Verma issued a notice requiring the government to present data justifying the quota within six weeks.

Petitioners, led by Dehradun resident Bhuvan Singh, argue the act violates a previous court ruling and have called for the act's repeal. The state defends its move as aligned with Supreme Court guidelines on reservations for economically weaker sections. The High Court has not stayed the act at this point.

(With inputs from agencies.)