Ram Vilas Paswan: Prevailing caste system will not let reservation go

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said by the time caste system prevails, reservation will not go in vain.

Ram-Vilas-Paswan Supreme-Court SC-ST-Amendment-Act

Paswan at a meeting of SC/ST MPs at his residence said, "Reservation will be there till the caste system exists."

The Supreme Court, recently, in a landmark judgment decalred that reservation is not a fudamental right to obtain promotions for government jobs. The states are not directed to provide promotions to the members of the SC/ST community.

However, Paswan, welcomed the Supreme Court which upheld the constitutional validity of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018.

Also Read: Supreme Court says Reservation for jobs, not for promotion

"We welcome one of the SC verdicts which upheld SC/ST (Prevention of atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018. When the Act was envisioned in 1989, there were provisions to punish those who violated the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. There were deliberations on the improvement of the Act and suggestions were given to the Prime Minister about it. The government passed an amendment to the Act in 2018 and the verdict on the matter by the SC has endorsed the amendment," said Paswan.

However, on Monday, the Supreme Court while uphelding the constitutional validity of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018 ordered that no provision will be given for anticipatory bail for a person accused of atrocities against Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.

"There is no fundamental right which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions. No mandamus can be issued by the court directing the State government to provide reservations," the apex court said in its verdict on February 7.


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