RAIPUR: Hearing the plea filed against Governor Anusiya Uikey in connection to the delay in the assent for the reservation amendment bill, the single bench of Justice Rajni Dubey has issued a notice to the Governor’s Secretariat asking them to submit a reply in 2 weeks.
Senior Adv Kapil Sibal and Adv Gen Satish Chandra Verma represented the state govt in the plea that was filed at the High Court.
Political tension on the unanimously passed reservation bills is gaining ground in the state. Recently CM Bhupesh Baghel slammed the BJP for the “double standards”, as its government in Karnataka has signed a reservation Bill that breaches the 50 percent constitutional limit, and yet, was accorded assent by the Karnataka Governor, even as the Bill passed by the Chhattisgarh Assembly is pending with Governor Anusuiya Uikey since December 2022.
Uikey was recently reported saying she is waiting till March to take a decision on the reservation Bills, expecting the Supreme Court will rule on another reservation Bill that was introduced by the erstwhile Raman Singh government, which was rejected by the High Court in September 2022.
The Bhupesh Baghel government passed two bills during a special session of the assembly to enhance overall reservation to 76% by proposing 32% for STs, 13% for SCs, 14% for OBCs, and four cent reservation for other EWS categories in jobs and admissions in educational institutions. Later, the bills were sent to Rajbhawan but the Governor did not grant her assent but raised 10-point queries to which the government replied and Governor said that they would be analyzed by legal experts.