ANDHRA HC QUASHES, TRS PROMISES QUOTA FOR MUSLIMS

A bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside the Act legislated by the State Assembly providing 4 per cent reservation to 15 groups belonging to the Muslim community. The order was passed by the seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Anil Ramesh Dave on a petition filed by Advocate K Kondala Rao. The state government had moved a bill in the Assembly on the basis of a report submitted to it by the Andhra Pradesh Commission for Backward Classes. Soon after the High Court order, Chief Minister K Rosaiah directed the state Advocate General D.S.R Murthy to file a special petition in the Supreme Court challenging the verdict striking down the government order on the reservation to Muslims in educational institutions and jobs. On the other hand Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao has promised political reservation and quota in education and employment based on population for Muslims in separate Telangana. Rao had earlier said that Muslims would not be assured of social justice unless they get reservation. He assured the Muslim community that a special provision in Constitution would be invoked in separate Telangana – as was done by Tamil Nadu government – to extend reservation to Muslims in education and employment. TRS chief promised that Muslims would get the reservations proportionate to their population, which is 13 per cent to 15 per cent in Telangana.