Punjab: Amarinder Singh asks CM Channi to defend reservation rights of Valmikis, Mazhabi Sikhs

Giving a brief background of the issue, Amarinder Singh disclosed that it was during the time of Giani Zail Singh as chief minister in 1975, that the Punjab government, through a circular, had reserved fifty per cent jobs within the reserved quota for the Valmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs.

The circular was struck down by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 25, 2006, he said. He recalled that like the Abrogation of Water Sharing Agreements Act after the Supreme Court had ruled against Punjab on the SYL issue, his government took a legislative route to protect and safeguard the reservation rights of the Valmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs and enacted the Punjab Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act 2006. The said act was notified on October 5, 2006.

However, Section 4(5) of the Act, which provided 50 per cent reservations to Valmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs, was struck down by a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on March 29, 2010. The said order was stayed by the Supreme Court on August 30, 2010.

As of now, the former CM said, due to the SC stay, the Valmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs are entitled to 50 per cent reservation within the reservation for getting government jobs in Punjab.

But some influential sections within the government were not keen to retain the reservation within reservation, he said. The government was being advised by these influential sections not to pursue the case in the Supreme Court where it is scheduled to come up before a larger division bench. This, he warned, will be a gross denial of justice to Valmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs.

Amarinder Singh said when the matter came up for hearing before the SC Division Bench in August 2020, he had personally given instructions to ensure that the rights of the Valmikis and the Mazhabi Sikhs are defended properly and strongly. He hoped that the state government will defend the case the same way when it comes up for hearing before another division bench which is being constituted soon.