Quota demand: Karnataka govt forms panel under retired judge
Bengaluru, Mar 10: Karnataka government on Wednesday constituted a three-member high-level committee headed by a retired High Court judge Subhash Adi to look into demands by various communities in the state for revising the existing reservation and advise it.
"As per the decision of the Cabinet to examine the demands by various communities on reservation within the constitutional and legal framework, a high-level committee headed by retired High Court judge Subhash Adi has been constituted," Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's office tweeted.
It said retired Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha and professor B V Vasanth Kumar, assistant professor at Maharani Arts College, Mysuru, would be its members.
The state Cabinet had, on March 3, decided to constitute the three-member high-level committee, and authorised the Chief Minister to make appointments to it.
Informing about the decision, Law Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said the retired judge would look into legal and constitutional aspects while the retired administrator would go into administrative aspect.
He had said there would also be a social scientist in the committee, which would give a comprehensive report.
Indicating that it was inevitable to breach the 50 per cent cap if demands are to be fulfilled, Bommai had said if it has to exceed 50 per cent, special criteria has to be identified and the committee would guide the government on this constitutionally and legally.
The state, at present, provides 15 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes, three per cent for Scheduled Tribes and 32 per cent for the Other backward classes (OBCs), which add up to 50 per cent.
There are demands for revision of the existing quota from various communities led by seers or pontiffs, who have held protests.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayats are demanding OBC status under the central list, whereas the sub-sect of the community Panchamasali Lingayats wants to be put under Category 2A in the state quota.
The other dominant Vokkaliga community has decided to seek enhancement of reservation and wants all Vokkaliga sub-sects to be included under OBC.
On the other hand, the backward Kuruba community is seeking ST tag, the Valmiki community wants ST quota to be hiked from 3 per cent to 7.5 per cent.
ಸಚಿವ ಸಂಪುಟದ ತೀರ್ಮಾನದಂತೆ, ಮೀಸಲಾತಿ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇರುವ ವಿವಿಧ ಬೇಡಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಸಂವಿಧಾನಾತ್ಮಕವಾಗಿ ಹಾಗು ಕಾನೂನಾತ್ಮಕ ಚೌಕಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಪರೀಶೀಲಿಸಲು ಹೈಕೋರ್ಟಿನ ನಿವೃತ್ತ ನ್ಯಾಯಾಧೀಶರಾದ ಸುಭಾಷ್ ಆಡಿ ರವರ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ನಿವೃತ್ತ ಮುಖ್ಯಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಶಿ ಕೆ.ರತ್ನಪ್ರಭಾ ಮತ್ತು... (1/2)
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) March 10, 2021
ಮೈಸೂರು ಮಹಾರಾಣಿ ಕಲಾ ಕಾಲೇಜಿನ ಸಹ ಪ್ರಾಧ್ಯಾಪಕ ಡಾ|| ಬಿ.ವಿ.ವಸಂತಕುಮಾರ್ ಸದಸ್ಯರಾಗಿರುವ ಉನ್ನತ ಮಟ್ಟದ ಸಮಿತಿಯನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. (2/2)
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) March 10, 2021
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Ruckus outside counting centre in Mamata's constituency, TMC claims entry of car with BJP flag
Kolkata (PTI): The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging two cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept.
The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.
With the polling now over, the wrangling for power in West Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.
Despite expressing her confidence in a "landslide victory", Banerjee has repeatedly aired her apprehensions of "counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results".
On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.
"The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away," a TMC activist said.
The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.
A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing by the Harish Mukherjee Road, and after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.
On Thursday night, two counting centres, including one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents
In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.
On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas districts, where TMC workers held protests, alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.
The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working in an uninterrupted manner.
BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that the people of Bengal were finding it "hilarious" that the TMC, "which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics" were now coming up with all sorts of "frivolous charges".
"Are they scared of losing?" he posed.
