Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Dec 7: The state government, which had drafted SC/ST Promotions Bill and got it passed in the legislature to avoid the need to obey the order passed by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by aggrieved employees in the state, is in a bind now. Because, the bill it had forwarded to the state governor for his assent, stands referred to the President for his approval. The government's efforts to avoid the need to revert about 2,200 employees promoted by it and give promotions to employees belonging to other categories seem to be going nowhere at least for the present.

The department of law and parliamentary affairs has received a letter from the governor which said that the bill in question has been referred to the President. The government is in a dilemma now as the case will come up for hearing again before the Supreme Court on January 14 and there is a possibility of the government facing contempt of court proceedings if the bill does not get Presidential approval by then. Even if the bill becomes law by then, aggrieved employees of the state plan to question its validity.

The government, which had got the bill passed in both houses of the legislature at the Belagavi session, had submitted the same to Raj Bhavan through the department of parliamentary affairs. The major point contained in the bill was to protect the interests of employees belonging to scheduled castes and tribes who had got reservation-based promotions under supernumerary quota. But the governor, who summoned secretary in the department of law and advocate general of the state and held consultations with them, decided to refer the bill to the President.

The Supreme Court has asked the state to file affidavit about steps taken by it to obey the orders passed by the court, before December 15.

The Supreme Court, which had declared as illegal reservation-based promotions given to state employees from scheduled castes and tribes categories to the detriment of general category employees, had asked the government to prepare new seniority list and decide on promotions on the basis of this list. The government, in order to escape from the clutches of this order, had made preparations to protest interests of these employees through an ordinance. But the governor did not agree to sign the ordinance and asked the subject to be discussed in the legislature before a decision is arrived at. The bill passed as per this instruction has now been forwarded to the President.