SC gives State a month to submit revised seniority list

SC gives State a month to submit revised seniority list

Context

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the Karnataka government six months to implement its February 9, 2017, judgment to revise the promotion list of employees after invalidation of a law granting reservation in promotion to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees

One month given

Court has given one month to the state government and directed that if the directions are not complied with, the Chief Secretary has to appear personally before the court on April 25

Backdrop

In January this year, the Supreme Court slammed the State government for not complying with its February 9 judgment

• In its judgment, the court had held that the “exercise for determining inadequacy of representation, backwardness, and overall efficiency is a must before a State decides to provide reservation with consequential seniority under Article 16 (4A) of the Constitution for SC/ST persons in government service”. It had then given Karnataka three months to revise its seniority list
• However, the State responded by passing the Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation (To posts in the Civil Services of the State) Bill, 2017. This Bill is awaiting the President’s assent