The DMK moved the Madras High Court Friday challenging the central government’s decision to provide 10 per cent reservation in employment and education to economically backward classes, saying it “offends” the basic structure of the Constitution.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) claimed in its plea that reservation is not a poverty alleviation programme but is more in the nature of social justice to uplift communities that have not had access to education or employment for centuries.
“Therefore, essentially, the exception to the equality clause is only available to those communities which were ostracised for centuries in matters of education and employment. Economic criteria has been, however, used as a filter to exclude the creamy layer, persons belong to the backward classes but who are economically advanced,” DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi said in the petition.
“Hence, application of economic criteria solely is not contemplated as an exception to the rule of equality and consequently to provide reservation solely on economic criteria offends the basic structure of the Constitution,” he added.
Post Your Comments