A section of the Jat community has expressed disappointment over the decision of Punjab and Haryana Court to put reservation law implementation on hold till the quantum of reservation is finalised in Haryana to keep the quota within the limit mandated by the Supreme Court.
The court on Friday asked the State Government to compile data on various communities in Haryana and submit a report to the Haryana Backward Classes Commission by December 31 in this regard.
Yashpal Malik, head of Akhil Bharatiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, while talking to the mediapersons in Rohtak after the HC decision said that the Jat community is disappointed as the stay over the law would continue till the Government submit its report.
As the court has put the ball back in the Government's court, we expect the Haryana Government to submit its report in one month’s time to keep its promise for giving reservation to the Jat community, said Malik.
He said that the court has given time till March 2018 for submission of this report and till then the quota law’s implementation is put on hold. Instead of waiting for so long, we demand that this report should be submitted in within one month, he added.
We held a meeting with the State Government to raise this demand besides other demands that the Government had assured to accept in a meeting held on March 19 this year, said the Jat leader.
Yashpal Malik had spearheaded the agitation in support of the Jat reservation demand in January 2016 and even this year in the State.
Malik added that a ‘Bhaichara rally’ will be held in Jhajjar on September 3. The next course of action will be decided there to hold further talks with the Haryana Government on our previous demands which includes the release of those jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protest and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in February 2016 Jat stir in Haryana.
Another Jat leader Sube Singh Samian, while expressing disappointing on the HC decision to put on hold quota law implementation said that we hope that the Government will do its work now. The Government had promised the Jat community to provide reservation and now, it is upto them to work promptly and submit a report to give reservation, he added.
The Jat leaders, however, heaved a sigh of relief as the HC on Friday upheld the Haryana law that ensures 10 per cent reservation to Jats and five other communities.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had in May 2016 stayed the Haryana Government’s decision to grant reservation to Jats and five other communities in jobs and educational institutions under the newly created backward class ‘C’ category.
The Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Act 2016 was passed by the Haryana Assembly on March 29 last year, following the ten days long violent Jat quota stir in February in the State that had killed 31 people, left more than 300 injured and destroyed property worth hundreds of crores of rupees. The Act was notified on May 13 by the Haryana Government.