SRINAGAR: Justice (retd.) GD Sharma-led commission has sent a request to Jammu & Kashmir Government for its extension by another six months, sources in J&K government disclosed.
Quoting official sources, KNO reported that Jammu & Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, which was constituted in March 2020 to examine reservation-related issues, has written to the Jammu & Kashmir Government to grant it an extension of six more months. The commission has sought an extension as its extended tenure will expire on September 18, 2023. The last extension to the panel was granted in March 2023. If Government accepts the panel’s recommendations, it would be the fourth extension to the commission.
The panel has pushed for another extension when it is examining the issue of Reserved Backward Area (RBA) reservation after submitting its recommendations for the inclusion of new tribes/classes in scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, and social castes (weak and unprivileged classes) lists.
Based on its recommendations, the Centre introduced three bills in the Parliament in July 2023 for restructuring reservations in Jammu & Kashmir. These bills seek recognition of new groups as scheduled tribes and scheduled castes and rechristening of the “social castes” category in J&K as “other backward classes”.
The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 pushes for the inclusion of the Pahari community, Paddaris, Gadda Braman and Koli tribes in ST list, while the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks addition of the Valmiki community in the Scheduled Castes category.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks rechristening of the Social Caste category as OBC.
Headed by former High Court judge, Justice (retd.) GD Sharma, Rup Lal Bharti former Indian Forest Service(IFS) officer and Munir Ahmad Khan(ex-IPS officer) are members of the commission.
