Indian Union Muslim League organising secretary E.T. Mohammed Basheer, MP, has urged the State government to move the Supreme Court against an order of the Kerala High Court quashing the State government awarding 80% of the minority scholarships to Muslims.
Reacting to the verdict, Mr. Basheer said the State government had already adopted a stand on the issue and that it had also filed an affidavit in the High Court approving the subclassification of the minorities by providing scholarship at 80% to Muslims and 20% to Latin Catholics and converted Christians.
“So it will not be a problem. However, the court has not gone through the background of the Paloli Mohammed Kutty Commission report that was constituted to implement the recommendations of the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee set up to look into the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community,” he said.
He said the minority should be further classified based on their social and educational status. Initially, based on the Paloli Mohammed Commission recommendations, the State government decided to provide scholarships exclusively to Muslim youths.
“But later converted Christians and Latin Catholics were included in the scheme without impacting the benefits to the Muslim community. Successive governments also followed suit without disturbing the mode of operation by providing scholarship at 80% to Muslims and 20% to Latin Catholics and converted Christians,” Mr. Basheer said.
