Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Oct 17: As per current indications, the state government may soon issue official order to implement the law it had earlier passed to protect its SC/ST employees who had faced setback relating to reservation-based promotions after the Supreme Court found that giving reservation-based promotions was wrong.
The state had passed Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to government servants promoted on the basis of reservation bill 2017, which later got the assent of the President, to nullify the effect of the Supreme Court order. Even after the bill became law, the state had dithered from implementing it in view of an appeal pending in the Supreme Court. That appeal is still pending in Supreme Court, but sources say that the government has decided to go ahead with implementing this law in the state to protect the welfare of SC/ST employees of the government.
Although the Supreme Court has said that it will conduct final hearing in the appeal on October 23, the SC/ST employees union has been bringing pressure on the government to implement the law. It is said that the minister concerned and legal experts have given the opinion to the chief minister that there is no problem in implementing the law passed by the state. Therefore, in all likelihood, the law will be implemented before the next hearing in the Supreme Court.
Although it is enough for the department of personnel and administrative reforms to issue a communiqué to implement this law, the officials have told the chief minister that it might not be feasible now as election code of conduct is in force. Some feel that it is better to await the final verdict of the Supreme Court.
President of SC/ST Employees Union, Shivashankar, feels that the government should go ahead with implementing the law passed by it to serve the interests of SC/ST employees. State president of Minorities, Backward Classes and General Category Employees Union, M Nagaraj, has warned that the government will be facing problems if it implements the said law. The union has warned of beginning non-cooperation stir if the government overlooks their interests and goes ahead with implementing the said law.