HRD Minister Javadekar Promises Legislation For Department Wise Quotas In Universities If SC Rejects Review Petition

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar yesterday (Friday, 8 February 2019) stated in the Rajya Sabha that the government would resort to passing a bill or issuing an ordinance if its review petition before the Supreme Court regarding the implementation of department-wise reservation is dismissed, reports Indian Express.

Lawmakers from the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party stopped the normal functioning of the House in order to pressurise the government to introduce a bill on the issue for the ostensible purpose of protecting the interests of backward communities.

The government’s review petition follows its special leave petition on the new faculty reservation proposal for varsities was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The whole issue stems from the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) decision in March 2018 to start calculating quotas at the level of individual departments in universities. The move was made in order to comply with a ruling of the Allahabad High Court in April 2017.

The government’s reply on the issue was given after a number of opposition MPs issued notices as per Rule 267 asking for the suspension of the day’s business in order to bring up the issue of faculty reservations. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressed satisfaction that Javadekar had duly addressed the issue.