HC stays Haryana govt law granting 75% reservation for domiciles in private sector jobs

Representative image (Source: AP)

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the Haryana government law that granted 75 percent reservation to domiciles in private sector jobs that offered a monthly salary of less than Rs 30,000 starting January 15, 2022.

The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 was stayed on February 3 by a division bench of Justices Ajay Tewari and Pankaj Jain. According to a report by the Tribune, the High Court had admitted several petitions challenging the law passed by the Manohar Lal Khattar-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana.

The petitioners included the Faridabad Industries Association, IMT Industrial Association, and the Gurgaon Industrial Association. They had argued that the Haryana reservation law infringed upon the constitutional rights of employers and went against the principles of meritocracy by preventing hiring based on skills of employees, reported The Indian Express.

The petition stated: “The act of the respondent forcing the employers to employ local candidates in private sector vide this bill impugned Act is the violation of the federal structure HC issues notice to Haryana over 75 percent quota in private jobs framed by the Constitution of India, whereby the government cannot act contrary to public interest and cannot benefit one class.”