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Madras High Court notice to Centre on 10 per cent quota for poor

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Madras High Court

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Madras High Court today (Monday, Jan 21) issued a notice to the Centre on a petition challenging the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 providing 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) in the general category.

The HC has asked the Centre to file its reply by February 18.

The HC was hearing a petition, filed last week by DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi, stating that reservation was not a “poverty alleviation programme” but a “social justice programme to uplift communities which have not had access to education or employment and consequently do not have representation in the services of the state or in upper echelons of society.”

The Madras HC decision came after a bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramoniam Prasad heard arguments made by the petitioner and the State.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate P Wilson argued that reservation was introduced in the interest of communities that are socially and educationally backward. The state cannot introduce new economic criteria, Bar and Bench quoted Wilson as saying.

“Tomorrow, a person who has an Audi car may come as EWS. The substance is that it is upper caste reservation…It affects the basic structure of the Constitution,” he said.

Defending the law, under which a family with gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh will be eligible for reservation, ASG Rajagopalan, appearing for the state, said the petition was moved in political interest rather than public interest. Rajagopalan argued that Bharathi cannot misuse the court to achieve what he could not achieve in the Rajya Sabha.

Opposing the contentions, senior advocate and former additional solicitor-general P Wilson submitted that it was the union government which was opposing the case politically.

Wilson said reservations were not poverty alleviation programmes but were more in the nature of social justice to uplift communities which had 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. However, economic criteria have been used as a filter to exclude the creamy layer, persons belong to the backward classes but who are economically advanced. 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.

Holding that the DMK’s petition opposing reservation for economically weaker sections among forward communities is not politically motivated, Madras HC issued notice to the Centre.

“The Constitution talks about Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Backward and other communities. Who could be persons falling under other communities?” asked the HC Bench, said a Times of India (TOI) report.

When ASG Rajagopalan said, they are the communities which do not figure on the reservation radar, the bench asked,“Who are they?”

The bench then ordered notice to the union government and directed it to file its reply by February 18.

The 10 per cent reservation, passed in Parliament and ratified by the President, will be in addition to the existing cap of 50 per cent reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes, taking the total reservation to 60 per cent.

The reservation in Tamil Nadu is already at 69 per cent due to the operation of the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Schedules Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993 (Tamil Nadu Act 45 of 1993) which has the protection of Article 31-B and has been placed in the IXth Schedule of the Constitution.

Therefore, in Tamil Nadu, the reservation cannot exceed the 69 per cent when compared to other states, where it cannot exceed 50 per cent of the total seats available since the same would then be contradictory to the principle enshrined in Articles 14, 15(1) and 16 (1) of the Constitution, the petition contended.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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P Chidambaram avoids commenting on Trump’s dead economy remark echoed by Rahul Gandhi

Chidambaram stays silent on Trump’s ‘dead economy’ remark echoed by Rahul Gandhi as Congress critiques Union Budget 2026.

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2 hours ago

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February 2, 2026

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P Chidambaram

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented her ninth consecutive union budget, stopping just short of Morarji Desai’s record of ten.

Congress MP P Chidambaram, however, avoided commenting on the ‘India is a dead economy’ statement made by former US President Donald Trump last July, which was later echoed by Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing the budget, Chidambaram said he could not respond as he lacked the full context of Trump’s original remarks.

The comment by Trump followed India’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil, which the US had criticized as indirectly funding military action in Ukraine. Trump imposed a 25 per cent penalty tariff on Indian imports and added: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”

Rahul Gandhi later supported the statement, saying, “He is right, everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. I am glad President Trump stated a fact…”

The remark sparked a political debate, with BJP leaders criticizing Gandhi, while some Congress members, including Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, called the statement “completely wrong.”

Ahead of the budget, Gandhi had highlighted the impact of US tariffs on small textile businesses, noting on X: “50 per cent US tariffs are badly hurting textile exporters. Job losses, shutdowns… are reality of our ‘dead economy’.”

The debate gained traction following the budget announcement, which did not offer immediate relief to middle-class taxpayers and saw markets react sharply, with the Sensex closing 1,500 points lower on Sunday.

Chidambaram, as usual, led Congress’ critique of the budget, pointing to a decrease in capital expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 3.2 per cent in FY25 to 3.1 per cent, despite the proposal of Rs 12.2 lakh crore for capex. He added, “Revenue receipts short by Rs 78,086 crore… total expenditure short by Rs 1,00,503 crore… revenue expenditure short by Rs 75,168 crore… capex was cut by Rs 1,44,376 crore… not a word was said to explain this…”

Rahul Gandhi echoed the criticism, highlighting issues such as unemployment, farmers’ distress, declining household savings, and low investment. “A budget that refuses course correction and is blind to India’s real crises,” he said on X.

Responding to the criticism, Finance Minister Sitharaman said, “With due respects, I don’t know what course correction he is referring to. The economy and its fundamentals are strong.”

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Earthquake of 4.6 magnitude hits Andaman and Nicobar Islands

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Nicobar Islands at 10 km depth, highlighting the region’s seismic activity and potential risks from shallow tremors.

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2 hours ago

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February 2, 2026

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earthquake-tremors

An earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands early Monday at around 3:30 am, the National Center of Seismology (NCS) reported.

According to the NCS, the tremor occurred at a shallow depth of 10 km. The earthquake’s epicenter was located at a latitude of 9.03° North and a longitude of 92.78° East, placing it in the Nicobar Islands region.

In a post on X, the NCS confirmed the details: “EQ of M: 4.6, On: 02/02/2026 03:31:12 IST, Lat: 9.03 N, Long: 92.78 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Nicobar Islands.”

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands fall under Seismic Zone V, according to India’s seismic zoning map (1893-1984), making them one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world. Historically, the islands have experienced several major earthquakes, including the devastating tremor on December 26, 2004, which caused significant land displacement and triggered tsunami waves, resulting in heavy loss of life and property.

Experts note that shallow earthquakes, like the one recorded on Monday, can be more hazardous than deeper ones. Seismic waves from shallow quakes travel a shorter distance to the surface, causing stronger ground shaking and posing higher risks to structures and human safety.

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Parliament Budget Session 2026 set to begin with Lok Sabha debate on President’s address

The Parliament Budget Session 2026 is set to begin with the Lok Sabha scheduled to debate President Droupadi Murmu’s address for 18 hours.

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2 hours ago

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February 2, 2026

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Parliament

The Parliament Budget Session 2026 is set to begin on Monday, with the Lok Sabha scheduled to take up discussions on President Droupadi Murmu’s address, a day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in the House.

The Lok Sabha is scheduled to meet at 11:00 am for a busy day of proceedings. A total of 18 hours has been allocated for the debate on the President’s address, which lays out the government’s policy priorities and broad agenda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to reply to the discussion on February 4, while Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to respond on February 11.

As per the session calendar, the Budget Session will comprise 30 sittings spread over 65 days and is scheduled to conclude on April 2. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9. During the recess period, Standing Committees are expected to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.

In addition to legislative business, Budget documents tabled in Parliament are set to provide a detailed break-up of government revenues and expenditure, outlining how funds are raised and allocated.

The opening of the Budget Session also comes amid discussions on the government’s economic approach, including measures announced in the Union Budget aimed at supporting key sectors and addressing global trade challenges.

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