Though it has received the copy of judgement of Supreme Court (SC) on the reservation in promotion, the Uttarakhand government is treading cautiously on the politically sensitive issue.
Given the stand of the state government on promotion in reservation it was believed that the Uttarakhand government would remove the ban imposed on promotions.
However the heat generated by the order has made the government hesitant. The order has given a chance to the opposition parties to attack Narendra Modi government with Lok Sabha witnessing uproar over it. The union government was forced to give statement in Lok Sabha on the issue.
Giving an indication of Uttarakhand government’s mood, the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said recently that the decision of SC would be examined.
The SC on February 7 had ruled that reservation in promotion in not a fundamental right and states are not bound to provide reservation in promotions. It opined that seniority and merit should be the criteria of promotion.
With this decision, the SC quashed the decision of Uttarakhand HC in Gyanchand case which allowed benefit of reservation in promotions. The Uttarakhand government had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the SC against the HC order. The state government also issued a moratorium on promotions of its employees in September last year.
The formidable association of general and OBC employees is now pressurizing the government to remove the ban so that justice is delivered.
It is pertinent to mention here that thousands of employees have retired without promotion resulting in resentment among the government employees.