Karnataka HC rejects pleas seeking SC/ST, OBC quotas in Advocates Association
Bengaluru, Feb 1 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Saturday dismissed petitions requesting reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, in the governing council of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru (AAB).
Justice R Devdas rejected the petitions filed by the All India Backward Classes Advocates Foundation and the Karnataka SC/ST Backward Classes and Minorities Advocates Federation, advising the petitioners to take their case to the Supreme Court instead.
The petitioners had sought caste-based reservation in AAB’s governing council, citing a recent Apex Court order mandating 30 per cent reservation for women in the body.
However, the High Court clarified that the Supreme Court’s directive was issued under Article 142 of the Constitution, which grants it special powers to pass necessary orders for complete justice.
Since AAB’s bye-laws do not currently include caste-based reservations, the High Court stated that it could not invoke its authority under Article 226 to grant a similar directive.
Despite dismissing the petitions, the court acknowledged the petitioners’ concerns that AAB has never had an SC/ST or OBC office bearer. It also took note of their argument that since AAB had already introduced reservations for women, it should consider similar measures for marginalised communities.
The court further observed that AAB comprises members of the Bar and receives state funding.
The petitioners contended that once the association introduced reservations for women, it opened the door for implementing all constitutionally mandated reservations, whether vertical (caste-based) or horizontal (gender-based).
However, the High Court refrained from commenting on AAB’s decision to implement the Supreme Court’s order.
It maintained that if the petitioners believed they were entitled to similar benefits, they should approach the Supreme Court.
Earlier, on January 24, the top court had directed AAB to ensure 30 per cent representation for women in its governing council and to reserve the treasurer’s post exclusively for women.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh had issued this ruling to promote gender inclusivity in the association’s leadership.
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One person taken into custody after woman found dead in Himachal forest
Nahan (HP) (PTI): A suspect has been taken into custody after a woman's partially burnt body was found in a forest near a police battalion camp in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmour district, police said.
The body of the woman, who is stated to be in her late 30s, was spotted in the dense forest of the Karaunde Wali Ghati area near Dhaula Kuan by locals on Wednesday morning. The identity of the deceased has not yet been established.
The accused in the case was taken into custody at Bata Bridge in Paonta Sahib on Wednesday evening following scanning of the CCTV footage of the area coupled with inputs from Haryana Police, police said.
According to police, the accused is a resident of Barara town in Ambala district of Haryana. A case of kidnapping has already been registered against him in Ambala.
Sirmour District Superintendent of Police Nischint Singh Negi said one person has been taken into custody following contact with Haryana Police.
Postmortem examination of the woman is scheduled to be conducted on Thursday at the Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar Government Medical College at Nahan.
Police are currently investigating whether the woman was murdered in Barara itself, and if her body was subsequently dumped in the Paonta forest and set on fire.
