Maharashtra: Cabinet sub-committee clears promotion of backward class govt employees based on seniority

Ajit Pawar. (File)

A state Cabinet sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has cleared the promotion of backward class government employees on the basis of seniority. The move is likely to help nearly 30,000 state government employees from the backward classes.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the state Cabinet subcommittee on ‘reservation in promotion’, headed by Pawar, on Wednesday. The proposal will now be put before the state cabinet for its approval soon.

The Bombay High Court in August 2017 had struck down reservations in promotion while hearing a petition that challenged the reservation in promotion at all levels. Subsequently, the General Administration Department (GAD) issued a letter in December 2017, restricting the promotion of backward class employees and officers from the open category based on the seniority.

Energy Minister and member of the sub-committee, Nitin Raut, said the GAD letter was illegal and should be withdrawn. Raut told in the meeting that a petition regarding reservation in promotion is being heard by the Supreme Court.

“The SC had directed to check whether the backward classes have proper representation in the government before giving reservation in promotion to the backward classes. Subsequently, the Karnataka government set up a committee to submit quantified data before SC highlighting the need for reservation in promotions. The apex court has accepted the report and granted reservation in the promotion,” Raut said, adding that the SC validated Karnataka’s reservation in promotion in July this year.

The minister said that on the lines of Karnataka, it has been decided to set up a high-level committee headed by additional chief secretary of the GAD to submit a report to the government on whether there is a proper representation of backward classes in the administration.

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