Blow for agitating Gujjars; HC dumps quota plea

In a setback to agitating Gujjars, the Rajasthan high court on Wednesday held that members of the community could not be given special reservation in government jobs.

A division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Mahesh Bhagwati held that Gujjars cannot be given special reservation and an act of 2008 has no substratum of quantifiable data that could justify the reservation.

The move to provide reservation by government could not, therefore, be acted upon, the judges said.

The court also directed the state government to carry out an exercise within a year to establish the backwardness of Gujjars, Raikas, Raibari and Gadiya Lohar communities in the fields of education and government employment.

Gujjars have been agitating for the last two days in support of their demands, including quota in jobs. The Ashok Gehlot government has said it was ready for talks to end the impasse.

The high court had earlier stayed the quota as it was exceeding the 50 per cent limit.

Threatening to intensify their stir, Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla had said yesterday, "We are not ready to give up till our demands are met."

Rail and road traffic was disrupted in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district due to the Gujjar stir.

Reacting to the High Court's order, Bainsla asked community members across Rajasthan to intensify their agitation in support of their demand.

"The government has cheated us by not presenting our side very effectively in the High Court. It is injustice with us and now I have asked all my people not only in Rajasthan but outside the state also to launch the agitation," Bainsla told PTI from the sit-in site.

"All the rail tracks and highways will be blocked all over the state soon and we are also asking Gujjars in Delhi to stop milk supply in support of our demands," he said.

"Why only Gujjjars, stay quota of ST/SC and OBC if the biased government does not want to give reservation. Though we respect the High Court, but we will not suffer anymore," he added.

A close aide of Bainsla, Dr Roop Singh said, "The strategy to intensify agitation will be announced two hours later after discussing the matter with the community people."

Meanwhile, rail and road traffic remained affected as the agitators continued to squat on rail tracks near Pilukapur in Bharatpur district where security forces had been deployed in strength.

Gujjars have been agitating for the last two days in support of their demands, including quota in jobs. The Ashok Gehlot government has said it was ready for talks to end the impasse.

The Rajasthan high court on Wednesday held that Gujjars cannot be given special reservation and an act of 2008 has no substratum of quantifiable data that could justify the reservation.