‘Govt pursuing promotion quota for SC/ST in apex court’

A day after Chief Minister Mayawati expelled BSP leader Vinod Tejiyan from the party and sacked him from the post of vice-chairman of UP Forest Corporation after he disrupted railway traffic to demand reservation in promotions for Dalits in state services,the UP government on Tuesday made an appeal to the SC,ST employees not to indulge in activities that could cause law and order problem. Tejiyan,who enjoyed the status of minister of state,was arrested on Monday in Saharanpur.

Principal Secretary (Home) Kunwar Fateh Bahadur,who is also the principal secretary in the Department of Appointment,said the state government is pursuing the case of the reservation in favour of SC/ST employees in the Supreme Court. He said the government filed a SLP in the Supreme Court on January 4 against the decision of the Allahabad High Court,which had quashed the provisions to provide consequential seniority to SC/ST employees and reservation in promotion to them in the state services. Bahadur said,the Supreme Court passed an order stating: “Status Quo,as its exists today,shall be maintained by the parties until further orders.”

Meanwhile,Tejiyan who was released on bail yesterday,has been declared an absconder by the GRP. ENS