Punjab And Haryana HC Declares 75 Per Cent Reservation For Locals In Private Sector Jobs Unconstitutional

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has declared the controversial Haryana law, mandating 75 per cent reservation for state residents in private-sector jobs, as unconstitutional, NDTV reported.

The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, passed in 2020 and subsequently modified, reserved 75 per cent of private-sector jobs with a monthly salary or wages below Rs 30,000 for individuals possessing a resident or domicile certificate, with the domicile requirement reduced from 15 years to five.

This decision, less than a year before the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana, is perceived as a significant setback for the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government.

The government had introduced the law with the aim of consolidating votes from local communities, particularly the Jat community. The state is expected to appeal the judgment in the Supreme Court.

The Act, passed by the Haryana Assembly in November 2020 and receiving the governor's assent in March 2021, was attributed to the Jannayak Janata Party, an ally of the BJP in the state. Dushyant Chautala, the party's leader and the deputy chief minister, had pledged the reservation as a key promise before the 2019 Assembly elections.