The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to respond to a petition seeking proportional representation of the Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies of West Bengal and Sikkim.
A Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI), West Bengal and Sikkim on the plea filed by an organisation, Public Interest Committee For Scheduling Specific Areas (PICSSA).
The plea, filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan, has alleged that despite the constitutional and statutory requirements, the Centre, ECI and these State governments have failed to ensure proportional representation to the Scheduled Tribes.
Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution deal with reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies. As per SC&ST Orders (Amendment) Act, 2002, several tribes, communities, parts and groups have been included in the lists of Scheduled Tribes.