New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday asked the Andhra Pradesh High Court to dispose of by Oct 31 petitions challenging the state’s law for four percent reservation to Muslims in professional and educational institutions.
A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran issued the directions, adding that in case the high court is not able to adjudicate the petition by Oct 31, it should make some interim arrangements regarding the admission of students in various colleges.
The bench, however, refused to annul its interim Sep 28 order, restraining the government from taking on further admissions of Muslim students against the quota. The Sep 28 order, however, allowed the government to go ahead with the admission of those Muslim students who had already been taken in against the reserved seats.
The court then also sought the state government’s explanation for the rationale adopted for listing Muslims within an exclusive sub-category of the socially and educationally backward classes for giving them reservation.
The court is at present seized of two petitions filed by Hyderabad residents T. Murlidhar Rao and K. Sriteja, who have contended that providing reservations exclusively to the Muslim community on religious lines violated the provisions of the constitution.