HEARING A petition seeking declaration of an institution as ‘minority’ institution, the Allahabad High Court has framed four questions for determining as to what is the definition of minority and also the criteria for recognising minority in the country.
The petition was filed by a person who converted to Buddhism and thereafter claimed that his institution be recognised as minority institution.
The questions are: (1) What is the definition of minority? (2) Who could be recognised as a member of minority religion and what would be the criteria for recognising minority. (3) Whether minority could be recognised at the national, provincial level or regional level and (4) Whether a community having more that five per cent of the total population could be recognised as minority. While putting up the case on December 18 for further arguments, Justice SN Srivastava directed the State counsel to assist the court on the questions arose to be considered in the case. The HC passed this order on a petition of Bahuri Alp Sankhyak Balika Inter College, Kushinagar through its manager Phool Chandra Yadav.
In this petition, Yadav claimed that after converting to Buddhism, he became a minority community member and, therefore, he rightly founded the institution as a minority institution.
{{/usCountry}}In this petition, Yadav claimed that after converting to Buddhism, he became a minority community member and, therefore, he rightly founded the institution as a minority institution.
{{/usCountry}}He requested the court to direct the respondents to recognise his institution as a minority institution and permit students to appear in the examination.
The court, after hearing both the sides, framed four above-mentioned questions.
FILING OF AFFIDAVITS: THE ALLAHABAD High Court has directed that in future all the affidavits and counter-affidavits of the Government departments, local bodies, corporations etc should be filed by an officer authorised to file the same and not by clerks.
Justice SN Srivastava directed to send a copy of this order to the chief secretary for compliance. The court passed this order on a petition filed by the UPSRTC through its regional manager.
The court said that the normal practice adopted by the Government departments, corporations and local bodies was to file affidavits and counter-affidavits through their clerks. The HC said now this practice should be stopped.