One Man Commission report will be implemented in toto: Damodar
SC recruitment and reservation will be implemented according to the classification, says the Health Minister
Hyderabad: Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narsimha on Friday said that there was no need to change even 0.01 per cent in the report given by the One Man Judicial Commission on the categorisation of the Scheduled Castes.
The Health Minister on Friday made a presentation on the one man judicial commission’s report on categorisation of the SCs. “We will implement the classification as usual. The commission has given its report taking into account all the other criteria, including the empirical data mentioned by the Supreme Court, and doing justice to every category,” said the Minister.
Raja Narsimha said that the cabinet had approved the report of the Commission as usual, except for the creamy layer. The categorisation would come into effect soon. After that, job notifications would come. Recruitment and reservation would be implemented according to the classification, said the Minister.
Raja Narsimha said that the Constitution had provided 15 per cent reservation for the Scheduled Castes. While some castes have effectively utilised these reservations and benefited, others who could not compete with them have been left behind. This has increased inequalities among the Scheduled Castes. These inequalities have caused dissatisfaction, insecurity and anxiety among the people.
This dissatisfaction has increased only 25 years after the Constitution came into force. As per the recommendations of the Justice Ramachandra Raju Commission, the Categorisation Act was enacted in 2000. Taking population, education, employment opportunities and backwardness of the castes as criteria, 59 Scheduled Castes were divided into A, B, C, and D groups and classification was implemented. Some people approached the Supreme Court saying that the states did not have the power to classify, and a five-judge bench ruled in their favour in 2004.
During 2005, the then CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy government passed a unanimous resolution in the Assembly requesting the Central Government to take steps in favor of categorisation. Based on this resolution, the then UPA government appointed the Justice Usha Mehra Commission in 2006. The commission stated that justice was done to the Relli, Madiga and their associated castes in higher education admissions and employment for 4 years (2000 – 2004) after the implementation of the classification.
On August 1, 2024, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court ruled in favour of classification. “Classification can be made under Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution. However, it should be aimed at achieving equality.” It said. “Without classification, the most disadvantaged sections of the Scheduled Castes cannot get their legitimate share of reservations,” the apex court observed. Article 341 does not prevent the State Governments from taking steps and making laws for the promotion of the Scheduled Castes,” it clarified,” said the Minister.
