<p>The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Karnataka government on a plea challenging the validity of a fresh law passed to safeguard the reservation in promotions to Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes (SC/STs) employees in government jobs. It also asked the state government to maintain the status quo as it decided to examine the matter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A bench of Justices Abhay Manohar Sapre and U U Lalit sought response from the state government within two weeks on separate writ petitions filed by Shivakumar K V and<br />B K Pavithra and others. The court fixed the matter for consideration on August 14. The court also directed the parties to file their response and rejoinder by then.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court orally asked Karnataka’s Advocate General Uday Holla to maintain the status quo on the Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the basis of Reservation (to the post in the civil services of the State) Act, 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, and advocate Kumar Parimal, appearing for Pavithra and others, contended that the fresh law was unconstitutional as the apex court had on February 9, 2017, struck down reservation in promotions for the SC/ST employees and the new legislation has been brought to nullify the effect of the judgement. As an interim relief, they sought direction to the state government not to act as per the provisions of the new law.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On this, Holla, who was present along with Karnataka Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, assured the court that general category employees promoted earlier in compliance with the judgement would not be reverted and those reverted would not be promoted again.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Karnataka government on a plea challenging the validity of a fresh law passed to safeguard the reservation in promotions to Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes (SC/STs) employees in government jobs. It also asked the state government to maintain the status quo as it decided to examine the matter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A bench of Justices Abhay Manohar Sapre and U U Lalit sought response from the state government within two weeks on separate writ petitions filed by Shivakumar K V and<br />B K Pavithra and others. The court fixed the matter for consideration on August 14. The court also directed the parties to file their response and rejoinder by then.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court orally asked Karnataka’s Advocate General Uday Holla to maintain the status quo on the Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the basis of Reservation (to the post in the civil services of the State) Act, 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, and advocate Kumar Parimal, appearing for Pavithra and others, contended that the fresh law was unconstitutional as the apex court had on February 9, 2017, struck down reservation in promotions for the SC/ST employees and the new legislation has been brought to nullify the effect of the judgement. As an interim relief, they sought direction to the state government not to act as per the provisions of the new law.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On this, Holla, who was present along with Karnataka Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, assured the court that general category employees promoted earlier in compliance with the judgement would not be reverted and those reverted would not be promoted again.</p>
