Parra Demands Transparency, Ruhullah Backs Students As Reservation Report Heads To Cabinet

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
File photo of Waheed Para

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet sub-committee examining the region's reservation policy has submitted its report within the mandated six-month period, Education Minister Sakina Itoo announced on Tuesday.“The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets,” she posted on X.

Formed in December 2024, the Sub Committee was tasked with reviewing the reservation framework following the Centre's move to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari community. The decision sparked widespread protests and legal challenges, with students and aspirants expressing concern that over 60% of seats were now reserved, leaving limited opportunities-estimated at 30–40%-for open merit candidates.

Responding sharply to Itoo's announcement, PDP MLA Waheed Parra said,“Students are demanding answers, not delays. Why hold back the Cabinet Committee report on merit? After your government's adverse stand on merit in court, intentions, not actions are under question.” He called for transparency, noting that Kashmiris have endured six years under an unelected administration.

Tensions have been building among aspirants. On June 5, representatives of the Open Merit Students' Association (OMSA) met MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, reiterating that June 10 was the deadline for the committee's report. The group warned that frustration among open merit aspirants was reaching a breaking point.

Meanwhile, the revised reservation policy, including the newly added Pahari group, is under legal scrutiny in the High Court, where at least three petitions have been filed. One petition calls the policy an“abuse of judicial process” and seeks its complete dismissal.

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As the Cabinet prepares to deliberate on the Sub Committee's findings, the issue remains mired in legal, political, and public scrutiny-signaling a potentially turbulent debate on merit, representation, and equity in the region.

Ruhullah To Hold Talks With Students Today

While the Cabinet Sub-Committee, formed to examine grievances related to the Union Territory's revised reservation policy, has completed its report and is set to present it before the Cabinet in its upcoming meeting, member of Parliament from Srinagar and National Conference leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has asserted that the recommendations must reflect the concerns raised by students.

Ruhullah-who has been at the forefront of the demand to roll back the revised reservation policy-said he is scheduled to meet with students on June 11 to discuss the issues leading up to the sub-committee's report.

“I expect what the students expect-that their demands, concerns, and grievances are addressed with fairness and transparency. There is a clear call for rationalization of the reservation regime and it must be carried out in line with what the students have articulated,” Ruhullah said.

He added that a delegation of student leaders and reservation rights activists is scheduled to meet him on June 11 at 10:30 AM to discuss the issue in detail.

Earlier on Tuesday, Minister Sakina Itoo, who chaired the sub-committee, provided an update on the progress.“The Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to examine the issue of reservations has drafted its report within the stipulated time frame of six months. The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets,” Itoo said in a post on X.

The committee was constituted in response to widespread concerns following a March 2024 amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, under the administration of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. The amendment increased reservations in government jobs from 43% to 70%, largely due to the inclusion of the Pahari community under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

The policy sparked protests and opposition from several quarters, prompting then-Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to establish the Cabinet Sub-Committee to reassess the implications of the move. The panel was given six months to complete its review.

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