New Delhi, 25 April: The Supreme Court has adjourned till May 9 the hearing on the petitions filed against the abolition of four per cent Muslim reservation in Karnataka. The state government had requested to postpone the hearing. The Karnataka government assured the Supreme Court that for the time being no admission or job recruitment will be done on the basis of the new policy.
The Karnataka government had assured the court on April 13 that no admission or job recruitment would be done in the state as per this decision. On 13 April, the court issued a notice to the Karnataka government.
It is noteworthy that the Karnataka government has abolished the provision of four per cent reservation for the Muslim community in the state. The four per cent reservation given to Muslims so far has been divided between Vokkalingas and Lingayats. The Anjuman-e-Islam organization has challenged this decision of the Karnataka government in the Supreme Court.
The petition states that the Karnataka government’s decision to exclude the Muslim community from the list of backward classes is in violation of the Constitution. The petition states that the decision is not based on any report or advice given by the Backward Classes Commission, which is required to be passed in a statutory form under the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission Act, 1995. In the petition, calling this decision of the state government politically motivated, the order has been demanded to be quashed.
