E-Paper
Decide on inclusion of Rajbhars in ST list: HC to UP govt
Till now, people of Rajbhar community, found in the eastern part of the UP, are treated as other backward castes (OBCs)
The Allahabad high court has directed principal secretary, social welfare department, Uttar Pradesh to take a decision within two months on the representation seeking inclusion of Rajbhar community members of the state in the list of scheduled tribes (STs).
Till now, people of the community are treated as other backward castes (OBCs).
Disposing of a writ petition by ‘Jago Rajbhar Jago Samiti’, the division bench of Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Dinesh Pathak observed, “Since the central government has forwarded the petitioner’s representation to the UP government, therefore no useful purpose would be served to keep the matter pending before this court.”
Earlier, counsel for the petitioner had contended that keeping in view past records, the Rajbhar community members should be treated as STs, but the state government had given them the OBC status.
Members of the community are found in the eastern part of the state.
The petitioner had applied through a sitting MLA for including the Rajbhar community in the ST list. The matter reached the central government, which had written on October 11, 2021 to the UP principal secretary that it could not process the matter unless it was processed by the state government.
After hearing all sides, the court noted that nowhere from the record it transpired that the petitioners had approached the appropriate authority of the state government.
Further, the communication dated October 11, 2011 of the central government revealed that the representation, which the petitioners had sent to various authorities, had been forwarded to the principal secretary in UP for taking action.
In its order dated March 11, while observing that “under these circumstances, no useful purpose would be served by keeping this writ petition pending before the high court,” the division bench accordingly directed the concerned principal secretary to take a decision on the representation, which had been forwarded to him by the central government, within two months in accordance with law.
