Reservation row in J&K: Sub-committee submits report as deadline expires

As a six-month deadline to submit the report on existing reservation rules ended today, Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo said on Tuesday that the Cabinet Sub-Committee has completed its task and the drafted report will be submitted before the Cabinet.

After the opposition parties and agitating students charged the government with adopting delay tactics in solving this issue, Sakina Itoo said that the Cabinet Sub-Committee formed to examine the issue of reservations in Jammu and Kashmir has completed its task and finalised the report within the stipulated timeframe of six months.

In a post on X, Itoo said, "The Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to examine the issue of reservations has drafted its report within the stipulated timeframe of six months. The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets."

Agitating students urge CM to convene Cabinet meeting

Within minutes after the head of the Cabinet Sub-Committee announced the completion of the task, agitating students under the banner of the Open Merit Students Association of J&K urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene a Cabinet meeting immediately.

"CM Omar Abdullah must urgently call a cabinet meeting and ensure the immediate implementation of the reservation report through an executive order. But before that, the full report must be made public so the people know what is being decided in their name," the Association posted on X.

"We categorically reject this vague response from the subcommittee. Saying the report will be "placed before the Cabinet when it meets" means nothing without a fixed date. There is no mention of a Cabinet meeting, no roadmap, and no clarity on when any action will be taken, the agitating students further said.

"The six-month deadline ends today, as promised by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on 23 December 2024, when he assured the student delegation that the report would be made public," the statement further mentioned.

"If you're saying the report has been drafted, then we call for the full report to be made public immediately. The Open Merit community has waited long enough. We will not be silenced by more ambiguity or false hope", they further stated, adding, "This is a matter of justice, not politics. And we will continue to raise our voice until there is full accountability."

A three-member Cabinet Sub-committee was constituted on December 10

After discussing with open merit students, the Jammu and Kashmir Government on December 10, 2024, officially constituted a three-member Cabinet Sub-Committee to review reservation policies in the Union Territory.

The order was issued as a follow-up action to the decision taken by Omar Abdullah's Cabinet on November 22, 2024, regarding a comprehensive look into reservations in government jobs.

According to an order issued by Sanjeev Verma, the then Commissioner/Secretary General Administration Department, J&K, the Cabinet Sub-Committee was comprised of three ministers, namely Sakeena Masood, Javed Ahmad Rana, and Satish Sharma.

This Committee was assigned the task of examining the grievances of aspirants of various posts regarding reservation rules in consultation with all stakeholders.

The Committee was served by the Social Welfare Department and asked to submit its report to the Council of Ministers.

After the National Conference, Lok Sabha Ruhullah Mehdi warned to sit in front of his house against the existing reservation rules, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on November 22, 2024 had announced a review of the existing reservation policy.

While announcing the formation of a panel, Omar Abdullah declared that the Cabinet has set up a subcommittee of three ministers to examine the reservation policy.

Currently, Jammu and Kashmir provides reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Pahari-speaking people, and several other categories, including Residents of Backward Areas (RBA), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and Residents of Border Areas.

Reservations in Jammu and Kashmir include:

1. Scheduled Castes (SC): 8%
2. Scheduled Tribes (ST): 10%
3. Other Backward Classes (OBC): 8%
4. Residents of Backward Areas (RBA): 10%
5. Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 10%
6. People living along the Line of Actual Control/International Border: 4%
7. Paharis and other tribes: 10%

The cumulative reservation has reached the 60 percent mark, a threshold that has long been considered the constitutional upper limit for reservation in India as per Supreme Court rulings.

A petition was also filed in the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court challenging the revised reservation structure as unconstitutional.