The Kerala Assembly, on Tuesday, ratified unanimously the Constitution (One Hundred and Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2009, which seeks to extend reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Anglo-Indian community in the two houses of Parliament and State Legislatures for another 10 years.
The Bill had been adopted by Parliament in August.
Under Article 334, reservation of seats for SCs and STs and the Anglo-Indian community would expire 60 years after the Constitution comes into effect. The deadline for expiry of the provisions falls on January 25, 2010.
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Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who moved the amendment Bill for ratification in the Assembly, pointed out that though the SCs and STs had made considerable progress in the past 60 years, the reasons which weighed with the Constituent Assembly in making provisions for reservation of seats and nominating members had not ceased to exist.The amendment Bill was, therefore, necessary to continue the reservation scheme for another 10 years, he said.
Fully endorsing the Chief Minister’s view, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said the Bill deserved to be adopted unanimously given its lofty objective.