The Allahabad High Court on Monday reserved its judgment against the new reservation policy of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) and stayed the interviews of the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) 2011 examinations scheduled from July 26.
A Division Bench comprising Justices L.K Mohapatra and Rakesh Srivastava passed the order on a petition filed by students Sudhir Kumar Singh and others who had challenged an amendment in the reservation rules of the state civil services.
The UPPSC had recently decided to open up the unreserved category vacancies for reserved category candidates. The students alleged that the amendment was made to facilitate the entry of members of the OBC Yadav community into reserved posts. They also flayed the UPPSC for introducing caste-based quotas from the preliminary examination stage itself.
The UPPSC’s move has been the cause of much uproar among students, a section of them on July 15 went on a rampage damaging property.
The Court also questioned the UPPSC’s “haste” in bringing in the new policy saying that the examination conducting body should refrain from inclusion of any sort of reservation formulae in the middle of the examination process as it breached Act 4, Section 3 (6) of the Reservation Act 1994.
The Court had on July 15 directed the UPPSC and UP government to file counter-affidavits after hearing the petition.
Senior advocates Keshri Nath Tripathi and Ravi Kiran Jain, appearing on behalf of the petitioners, told the Court that the new reservation policy was “illegal” and “unconstitutional” and intended to benefit candidates from “only one caste group considered close to the ruling party in the State”.
The petition was opposed by the UPPSC, represented by Counsel Shashi Nandan, and the State Government, through Additional Advocate General CB Yadav.
A section of the student groups hailed the order and led out "victory" processions in some parts of the city. Sweets were also distributed. Anticipating violence, the administration had put up elaborate security arrangements in place. All entries to the UPPSC building area were blocked even as personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force were on a tight vigil. Schools will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday as a precautionary measure by the district administration.
