Maharashtra Muslims form action committee on job quota
Mumbai, Aug 26: Maharashtra's Muslims on Sunday formed "Muslim Aarakshan Sanyukta Kruti Samiti" (Muslim Reservation Joint Action Committee) to force the state government to implement its promise of providing reservation in jobs.
The committee has been set up by top Muslim organisations, political leaders, scholars, academicians, lawyers, professionals and other prominent personalities to take their quota struggle to its logical conclusion.
When the erstwhile Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan-led Democratic Front government was in power, "it promulgated an ordinance" to provide 16 per cent reservations to Marathas and 5 per cent quotas for Muslims in government jobs and educational institutions.
Later, the Bombay High Court struck down the reservations for the politically-influential Maratha community completely but allowed 5 per cent reservations for Muslims only in educational institutions.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court upheld the order of the Bombay High Court.
Against the backdrop of the recent protests by the Maratha community for reservations and the renewed demand by Dhangars to be included in Schedule Tribes, the demand for Muslim quotas has also come to the fore.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Hussain Dalwai said it was high time the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre and Maharashtra government pay heed and work together to ensure reservations for Muslims.
Referring to the Rajinder Sachar Committee commissioned in 2005 by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Dalwai said, it is a report highlighting the plight and the current status of Muslims in India.
He pointed out that the Mehmood-ur-Rehman Committee had recommended 8-10 per cent reservation in education and jobs, plus a separate 10 per cent reservation for Muslim women.
This Committee was set up in 2008 by the previous Congress-Nationalist Congress Party Democratic Front government in Maharashtra, to study the economic, social and educational backwardness of Muslims in the state.
Shrimant Kokate of Maratha Seva Sangh has also backed the demand of the Muslims.
As per the Census 2011, Muslims constitute around 172 million or 14.20 per cent of the total Indian population and are the single largest religious minority.
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SC refuses to entertain plea to impose ban on social media usage for children below 13 years
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking to impose a statutory prohibition on social media usage for children below 13 years.
"It is a policy matter. You ask Parliament to enact the law," a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih told the counsel appearing for the petitioner.
"We are not inclined to entertain the present petition in as much as the relief sought is within the domain of policy," the bench said.
While disposing of the plea, it granted liberty to the petitioner to make a representation to the authority.
The bench said if such a representation was made, the same be considered in accordance with law within eight weeks.
The plea, filed by Zep Foundation, sought directions to the Centre and others to mandate the introduction of robust age verification system, such as biometric authentication, to regulate children's access to social media platforms.
The petition, filed through advocate Mohini Priya, also sought to implement strict penalties for social media platforms failing to comply with children protection regulations.
