DEHRADUN: After the Uttarakhand High Court stayed the state government's order of 30 percent reservation for domicile women, the state government has now decided to bring an ordinance to save the horizontal reservation of women in the state for government vacancies.
The Department of Personnel has prepared a proposal for an ordinance. The proposal for consultation is with the Justice Department. Soon after the High Court's verdict, the government has taken the decision to bring an ordinance in view of the women and public sentiments of the state.
It may be recalled that Uttarakhand public service commission had, by way of a notification of August 10, 2021, advertised 224 vacancies for various posts in about 31 departments. In clause 8 of the advertisement notification, it was mentioned that horizontal reservation would not be applicable to women who were not domiciled in the State.
The petitioners Pavitra Chauhan and others had challenged the order on the ground that it created an unreserved state category for women, which provided lower cut-off marks for women of the State to pass the preliminary examination. The HC provided relief in it on Wednesday by staying the government's order.
In 2003, the then chief minister Narain Dutt Tiwari government had decided to give 20 percent horizontal reservation in government jobs to women in the state. In the years that followed, it was increased to 30 percent.
Amid these odd circumstances, the government tried to support reservation in government jobs, but did not enact the Act. This is the reason why the benefit of this reservation, which is only from the government order, is in danger.
BJP state spokesperson Ravindra Jugran, who has been raising the issue of governance for horizontal reservation for women, said the government will move the Supreme Court if needed. Women of the state will not be deprived of the benefit of horizontal reservation.