Not formed an opinion yet on sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes for quota, head of national SC panel says
Opinions of Scheduled Caste communities from across a wide spectrum have to be consolidated first to arrive at any conclusion, National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairperson Kishor Makwana said
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has not yet formed an opinion on the Supreme Court’s judgment allowing States to sub-categorise Scheduled Castes (SCs) for quotas, NCSC Chairperson Kishor Makwana told The Hindu on Tuesday, a day after the panel met with a delegation of Scheduled Castes intellectuals over their opposition to sub-categorisation.
“We are just listening,” Mr. Makwana, who took charge as Chairperson in March this year, said. He added that the Union government had not yet contacted the NCSC for its opinion on the judgment or on the issue of sub-categorisation specifically.
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“We have pulled out a copy of the judgment and are discussing the pluses and minuses. This is not an ordinary issue. We are listening for now,” Mr. Makwana said, adding that the opinions of SC communities from across a wide spectrum had to be consolidated first to arrive at any conclusion.
The NCSC Chairperson said he had met with the delegation of SC intellectuals on Tuesday on a request made by them.
Members of this delegation, among them social media influencers, independent journalists, political workers and lawyers, told The Hindu that there is a great deal of uncertainty over the Centre’s “intent”, now that the apex court had sanctioned sub-categorisation of SCs for quotas. Most members of this delegation of 17 opposed sub-categorisation.
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“The Commission is very clear about its role. It is to ensure that all rights given to Scheduled Castes are fully protected. This is the Commission’s work. Right now, the Commission has no view on it, no opinion on the judgment. We are just listening for now,” Mr. Makwana said, amidst the uncertainty.
“There are political persons, field workers, activists, communities such as Jatavs, Valmikis and other SC communities, academics, professionals, etc. All of them have many different views on the issue, which is only natural. We must listen before anything can be done,” he added.
About two weeks after the judgment was delivered by a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, the Centre has arrived at the understanding that the judgment applies to State governments. However, in court submissions, the Centre had sought the power to sub-categorise for both itself and the States.
A statement on the specific issue of sub-categorisation of SCs has not been issued by either the Union Minister of Social Justice Virendra Kumar or the Union government, even though the Union Cabinet has taken a strong position against suggestions of a creating a creamy layer among SCs and STs, which were mere observations by some of the judges.
Further, the central leaderships of neither the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nor the principal Opposition party, the Congress, have issued a detailed position statement on the issue of sub-categorisation of SCs.
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