Bharat Bandh: Nationwide protest being held against apex court verdict on reservation

PATNA: A nationwide strike, ‘Bharat Bandh’, is taking place across the country in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling on SC and ST reservations. The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti announced the Bharat Bandh as a mark of protest against the SC’s ruling on SC-ST reservations.

The Patna police baton-charged the people protesting in support of a day-long ‘Bharat Bandh’ on Wednesday against the SC’s recent judgement. An atmosphere similar to lockdown is also being seen in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district. The people from the SC-ST community are monitoring by forming groups to make the shutdown successful.

#WATCH | Bihar: Police lathi-charge people in Patna as they stage protest in support of a day-long Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on reservations. pic.twitter.com/5jEMQiagJJ

— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

The police administration is also keeping a close watch on the area with full alertness so that no unusual incident takes place.  The SC-ST community members took out a procession from Kote Gate to the collector’s office.

The impact of the bandh is also being seen in Jharkhand’s capital city, Ranchi. The roads of Harmu Chowk, Kathal Mode, and Chapu Toli Chowk, have been completely blocked. The bandh supporters are protesting by burning tyres on the road.

#WATCH | Rajasthan: Shops in Jaipur shut due to the day-long Bharat Bandh called by Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti to protest the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on reservations. pic.twitter.com/91uLr51u8m

— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) August 21, 2024

The police are also on alert in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida where forces have been deployed in large numbers. The Joint Commissioner of Police of Noida, Shiv Hari Meena, said that the Police are conducting foot marches to ensure law and order is not disturbed. “We are also taking care that the general public does not face any kind of problem. The police team is keeping an eye on the people creating anarchists”, he added.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Jayant Singh Chaudhary said, “The Supreme Court had commented, after which the Law Minister also clarified it in Parliament. The Cabinet has also clarified its opinion, so now there is nothing left”.

The apex court in a landmark ruling on August 1, ruled that states have the power to sub-classify SCs and STs and said that the authority concerned, while deciding if the class is adequately represented, must calculate adequacy based on effective and not quantitative representation.

The Supreme Court ruled by a majority judgement of 6:1, that sub-classification within the SCs and STs reservation is permissible. As many as six separate opinions were delivered in the case.

The judgement was delivered by the seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, which overruled earlier judgement in the EV Chinnaiah matter, which had held that sub-classification was not permissible because SCs-STs form homogenous classes. Besides CJI Chandrachud, other judges on the bench were Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Satish Chandra Sharma.

Justice B R Gavai suggested that the state evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer, even from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to exclude them from the benefit of affirmative action. Justice Bela M Trivedi, in a dissenting opinion, said that she disagreed with the majority judgement that sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes is permissible. (ANI)