There have been occasions when nominated Anglo-Indian members have come to the rescue of the ruling dispensation.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday restrained Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala from nominating an Anglo-Indian member to the state assembly before Saturday’s floor test.

The ruling came in response to a petition by the Congress and the JD(S) seeking the apex court’s intervention following reports that the B.S. Yeddyurappa government was planning to nominate an Anglo-Indian member to the assembly to shore up the BJP’s numbers. The BJP has 104 MLAs and is short of eight to reach the majority mark of 112.

Representation of the community

At present, there are 10 state assemblies with nominated Anglo-Indian members and they enjoy all the powers that an elected MLA does. Though there are not many instances in the past but there have been occasions when nominated Anglo-Indian members have come to the rescue of the ruling dispensation.

In 2005, Joseph Pacheli Galstaum, the nominated Anglo-Indian member in the Jharkhand assembly, helped the Arjun Munda-led NDA government to prove its majority on the floor of the House. Yeddyurappa could have taken a leaf out of Munda’s book to enhance the party’s prospects in Saturday’s floor test.

Who is an Anglo-Indian?

An Anglo-Indian is of mixed Indian and British parentage and people of British descent born or living within the territory of India. The population of the Anglo-Indian community remains uncounted as the official census does not provide a separate head for them; it was last done in 1941.

In a special mention in the Rajya Sabha in August 2014, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien appealed to the government to make ‘Anglo-Indian’ a separate head in the census. “There are an estimated 5 lakh Anglo-Indians throughout the world, of which 2 lakh live in India,” he said.

The Constitution of India, under Article 331, provides for the nomination of two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha. They can’t vote in presidential elections but otherwise enjoy all other powers of an elected MP.

Prominent Anglo-Indian leaders

Frank Anthony, lawyer-activist and India’s representative at the United Nations, was one of the prominent Anglo-Indian politicians. He was also the longest serving Anglo-Indian nominee to the Lok Sabha.

At present, Richard Hay from Kerala and George Baker from West Bengal are the Anglo-Indian nominees to the Lok Sabha. In 2015, they joined the BJP.

Governor’s discretion

The governor of a state can, if he is of the opinion that the Anglo-Indian community needs representation in the legislative assembly, nominate one member from the Anglo-Indian community to the assembly. Article 333 of the Constitution provides the governor with such power.

There are 10 state assemblies in which Anglo-Indians have been nominated as members: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra governor Wednesday nominated Desmond Yates as Anglo-Indian member to the legislative assembly.