New Delhi, December 8
The Cabinet today approved a Constitution Amendment Bill to provide reservation for backward classes and SCs and STs in educational institutions, including the unaided private professional educational institutions, and to regulate admission or fee in such institutions.
The Bill is aimed at overturning the Supreme Court judgement which ruled that the State had no authority to reserve quota in private unaided institutions.
Briefing newspersons, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said the government was confident of getting the Bill passed in the current Winter Session of Parliament, which concludes on December 23, as there was a “total consensus” on the issue.
Mr Dasmunshi said the amendment would enable the states to make reservation of seats for the socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the SCs and STs in educational institutions, including the unaided private professional educational institutions, and to regulate admission or fee in such institutions.
He said the respective states would enact their own laws according to their requirements.
The Minister said the Cabinet today its approval to amend the Constitution by inserting a new clause (5) in Article 15 for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
Mr Dasmunshi, however, clarified
that minority institutions had been excluded from the purview of the proposed legislation. When asked why they had been excluded, he said “they already enjoy the guarantees of the Constitution.”It was not clear whether the states would be able to exceed the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court for overall reservation in the wake of the Tamil Nadu government seeking 69 per cent reservation.
The Minister said the Cabinet also approved approval to introduce states reorganisation laws amendment bill for the Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 to provide for the inclusion of Chattisgarh in the proviso to Article 164(1) of the Constitution; and the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 to provide for the inclusion of Jharkhand in Article 164(1) of the Constitution and to delete Bihar there from.
