By TCN News,
New Delhi: Former Lok Sabha Member and Convener of National Movement for Muslim Reservation (NMMR), Syed Shahabuddin has termed as “unfortunate and deplorable” the ruling of Andhra Pradesh High Court quashing the 4% quota for backward Muslims in the state.
“The Hon’ble High Court has ignored the fact that under Article 15 (1), read with Article 15 (4), reservation may be religion-specific or caste-specific or race-specific or language-specific, if the social group concerned passes the test of backwardness. It has also ignored the fact that several states, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala have provided reservation for Muslims as a community and other religious groups,” Syed Shahabuddin said.
Majority of a seven-judge bench of the High Court yesterday quashed the quota saying it is religion specific and will encourage conversion.
Syed Shahabuddin said the court’s reference to the A.P. Reservation in favour of Socially Educationally Backward Classes of Muslims Act, 2007 being religion-specific and potentially encouraging religious conversions, “shows a streak of Hindutva mentality & is absolutely irrelevant to the issue.”
He further said: “The majority judgment has also criticized the Act as ‘unscientific’. The NMMR respectfully considers that nearly all quotas or sub-quotas have been ad hoc and unscientific, not being based on due consideration of both population & level of relative backwardness (compared to SC/ST) and that is why the NMMR has been pressing the Government to hold development oriented Census in 2010 which should record both population and suitable educational, economic and social parameters in respect of all groups and sub-groups.”
The NMMR has welcomed the intention of the Government of Andra Pradesh to appeal against this judgment.