Agencies

New Delhi, March 2:

President Ram Nath Kovind issued an order extending the benefits of reservation to economically backward sections in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday night.

According to PTI, a notification in this regard was issued after a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took a decision on Thursday to issue the order, a Home Ministry official said.

With this, the 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections has been made applicable in Jammu and Kashmir also.

This would pave the way for reserving state government jobs to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir who are from economically weaker sections belonging to any religion or caste, the official said.

Ten per cent reservation to economically weaker sections was introduced in the rest of the country through the 103rd Constitutional Amendment in January 2019.

Government’s move came as Jammu and Kashmir is currently under the President’s Rule.

Prominent Kashmiri lawyer, Zafar Shah called the move “a fraud on the constitution and a danger to J&K’s Autonomy”. Due to the absence of an elected government in J&K, the order cannot be implemented, advocate Shah said.

“It’s a fraud on the constitution,” Shah told Free Press Kashmir. “The governor has no power to give consent on behalf of the government of Jammu and Kashmir.”

As on today, the state is under President’s rule and therefore, the recommendation is vitiated by constitutional bias, the advocate continued.

While many believe that the decision will pave way for abrogation of Article 35-A, 370 of the Indian Constitution, that empower J&K to stay autonomous, NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather said that the decision is without jurisdiction and a blatant violation of Article 370 of the constitution.

“We are not against the interests of the section of population sought to be benefitted through this amendment but the method adopted to achieve this goal is objectionable and unacceptable,” Rather said in a party statement.