AP high court quashes order classifying scheduled castes

The Andhra Pradesh high court's full bench on Friday quashed two state government orders classifying the scheduled castes into four groups.

Passing the order, Chief Justice P S Misra, Justices Lingaraj Rath and M N Rao allowed a batch of writ petitions filed by several scheduled castes.

The state government, based on the Justice (retired) Ramachandra Raju Commission's recommendations, issued the impugned orders classifying the scheduled castes into four groups for public appointments and admission into educational institutions.

The petitioners contended that the state government had no power to appoint a commission when there is a national commission under Article 368 of the Constitution and that there is no provision for it to legislate on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

The state government or the state legislature cannot act independently without consulting the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the petitions said.

Speaking on behalf of the bench, Chief Justice Mishra said, ''Sub-classification of scheduled castes is a major policy matter and it (the state government) is obliged to consult the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.''

UNI