Claiming reservation in government jobs is not a fundamental right: Supreme Court

New delhi date. 09 February 2020, Sunday

The Supreme Court has said in an important decision that it is not a fundamental right to claim reservation in government jobs. Therefore, no court can issue a directive to the state government to reserve the people of SC and ST. This right and obligation to reserve is entirely up to the discretion of the State Government whether to reserve them in appointment or promotion. However, the State Government is not obligated to implement this provision.

A bench of Justices L Nageshwar Rao and Justice Hemant Gupta has issued the directive addressing the SC and ST related issues in the promotion of the post of Assistant Engineer (Civil) in the Public Works Department of Uttarakhand Government. The bench has reversed the decision of the Uttarakhand High Court.

It is noteworthy that thousands of ST-SC employees from across the region had besieged the secretariat against the government last month in Dehradun, demanding the implementation of an old roster in reservation and direct recruitment in promotions. People belonging to several scheduled caste organizations from across the region staged a protest against the government in the capital, Dehradun, and threatened mass conversion if their demands were not considered.