Rangnath Commission report to be studied 'sincerely': Govt

Government today said it will examine the report of Rangnath Mishra Commission that recommended 10 per cent reservation for Muslims and five per cent for other minorities "with all sincerity" but refused to commit whether or when the recommendations will be accepted.

Government today said it will examine the report of Rangnath Mishra Commission that recommended 10 per cent reservation for Muslims and five per cent for other minorities "with all sincerity" but refused to commit whether or when the recommendations will be accepted.

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"We will examine it ( Mishra Commission report) with all sincerity. For us, it is an issue of importance," Minority
Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said when asked if the government will implement the recommendations and if yes,
when.

Khurshid said the Centre will study the recommendations and then decide which of them should be implemented.

He also justified non-tabling of the Action Taken Report along with the Commission's report in Parliament, saying it
was not mandatory as the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, headed by former Chief Justice of India Rangnath Mishra was not constituted under the Commission of Enquiry Act.

Among a host of recommendations, the Commission suggests delinking of Scheduled Caste status from religion
and abrogation of the 1950 Scheduled Caste Order which "still excludes Muslims, Christians, Jains and Parsis from the SC
net."

The Order originally restricted the SC status to Hindus only but was later opened it to Buddhists and Sikhs. If the
Commission's recommendation is accepted, Dalits converted from Hinduism to Islam and Christianity will also come under SC category and can claim benefits being given as per the Constitution.