The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday has stayed the Uttar Pradesh government’s order to include 17 sub-castes in the Scheduled Caste category. In December, the proposal for the inclusion of the sub-castes (Kahar, Kashyap, Kewat, Nishad, Bind, Bhar, Prajapati, Rajbhar, Batham, Gaur, Tura, Majhi, Mallah, Kumhar, Dheemar and Machua) was cleared by a Cabinet meeting which was presided over by UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Bahujan Samajwadi Party supremo Mayawati had them termed the SC government’s act as a “mere drama.”
On January 12, the Allahabad High Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file its reply on a petition challenging the decision.
Petitioner Raj Kumar had alleged that subsequent to the Cabinet decision, the state government’s personnel department issued a notification on December 31 whereby it was ordered that all benefits provided to the SCs be extended to the aforementioned 17 caste groups.
Petitioner Raj Kumar had alleged that this decision by the SP government was in violation of Article 341 of the Constitution which empowers only the Centre, and not the states, to decide the inclusion or exclusion of any caste group in the list of the Scheduled Castes.
