By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Various leaders of minority communities have welcomed the Bombay High Court decision to reject a petition that had challenged the central minority scholarship schemes. The court on 6th June rejected the petition saying these schemes have no adverse impact on students of majority community.
“It’s a welcome decision by the Bombay High Court to dismiss petitions challenging the Centre’s scholarship schemes for minorities,” said Dr. Zaheer Qazi, President of Anjuman-e-Islam, Mumbai’s leading trust that runs many schools and colleges in the city.
Sanjiv Punalekar and educationist Jyotika Wale had challenged the merit-cum-means scholarship scheme and pre-matric scholarship scheme for students belonging to minority communities. The mega scholarship schemes are being run by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs since 2008.
But a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice DG Karnik dismissed the petition observing that “there is no adverse impact on majority community because of the impugned schemes neither it takes away any benefit already availed by the majority community.”
The court observed that some of the reasons for social and educational backwardness of minorities, most of whom belong to the poor strata of society, are unique to the minority communities. “Majority community students, even belonging to the poor strata of society, do not have to face those social barriers like ghettoisation, identity related concerns and security concerns,” the bench said.
Rejecting the argument that students belonging to the majority community, whose parents earn less than Rs1 lakh-2.25 lakh, are discriminated, Dr. Zaheer Qazi said, “Majority community are well off in every sphere of life including education where as Sachar committee report expose that Muslims are lagging behind of SCs and STs.”
He further said, “Instead of creating hurdle, it’s our responsibility to uplift a group of our countrymen who are lagging behind.” He also advocated that the quota of scholarships must be increased.
Condemning the people who raised the bogy of minority appeasement, Dolphy D’souza, President of Mumbai Catholic Sabha said, “Sachar committee report suggests that we are not an egalitarian state and minorities not necessarily the Muslims, are left behind economically, educationally and politically so the steps to bring people on equal footings should not be opposed but welcome.”
Moizur Rehman, president of Students Islamic Organization, one of the largest organisations of students in India, echoed the same sentiment and deplored the hate mongers and their attempted impediment on every step to improve the living conditions of minorities.
He said, “Affirmative actions are not new but practiced all over the world for the betterment of minorities and it’s not in any way depriving majority community form any rights.
Arguing the court order the advocate of the petitioners Adv. Aniruddha Rajput also urged that even if the scheme is constitutionally valid, schemes may be extended to all the communities.
The bench also noted that the two impugned schemes are quite different from reservations for admission to educational institutions or reservations in public employment.