Caste census right solution to reservation problem: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow bench of Allahabad HC on Monday held that authorities committed illegalities in fixing quota for appointment of 69K teachers

Days after the Allahabad High Court observed that several illegalities were committed in fixing quota for appointment of 69,000 assistant teachers, Samajwadi Party chief Akhliesh Yadav on Wednesday attacked the BJP government over the issue of reservation and asserted that a caste census is the right solution to this problem.

"The decision on recruitment of 69,000 assistant teachers has come. It is the result of weak arguments in the case by the BJP government, which is against the basic spirit of reservation.

"To take away the rights of Dalits-backwards, BJP complicates the reservation issue through 'vidhai mayajaal' (legislative illusion). Caste census is the right solution to this problem so that reservation can be provided in proportion to the population," Yadav said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

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The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Monday held that the authorities committed several illegalities in fixing quota for appointment of 69,000 teachers in Uttar Pradesh through the Assistant Teachers Recruitment Examination (ATRE)-2019.

The court had directed the state government to review the final list issued in the matter on June 1, 2020, within the next three months after fixing the reservation in a proper manner.

The bench had also quashed the select list of 6,800 teachers issued on January 5, 2022.

"This is the sad story of ill-treatment meted out to the Dalits and OBCs in the BJP government. Is this the 'Amritkal of freedom' where assistant teachers are wailing on the streets to protect their livelihood? Will India become Vishwaguru just like this?

This time, 69,000 will bring change!," Yadav said in another tweet with a video of protesting teachers.

In a separate tweet with another video of protesters, Yadav said, "Where there is no right to protest for one's rights, everyone has to come forward to revive democracy. Now the Dalit-backward youth have understood the conspiracy of the BJP regarding reservation. BJP should remember that the youth have the power to change the 'yug' (era)."

The HC in its order had said that the reservation limit must not exceed 50 per cent of the total seats in any circumstances.

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"Apparently, there was no clarity of the score and details of the reserved category candidates, who appeared in the ATRE 2019. There had been no endeavour from the state authorities, who are custodian of the records of the ATRE 2019 and would have assisted this court in providing the said records," a bench of Justice Om Prakash Shukla said in his verdict disposing of as many as 117 writ petitions.

The court also showed sympathy to the teachers, already posted, facing ouster as result of the review, but went on to rule that the order will work to restore the balance of equity.

"It is the state authorities, who were under a constitutional duty to implement the provisions of the Reservation Act in its letter and spirit. However, the same has not been done, this court in order to balance the equity and keeping in mind these young men and women, who as teachers are going to shape the future of this country," the court said.

It had granted liberty to the state government to frame a policy for adjustment of teachers who may be ousted by a revision in the select list of June 1, 2020.

Hearing a bunch of petitions, the bench had to look into the correctness of the quota provided by the state authorities in appointing 69,000 assistant teachers.