{"id":108949,"date":"1996-11-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1996-11-03T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/indira-sawhney-vs-union-of-indian-and-others-on-4-november-1996"},"modified":"2016-07-23T22:33:46","modified_gmt":"2016-07-23T17:03:46","slug":"indira-sawhney-vs-union-of-indian-and-others-on-4-november-1996","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/indira-sawhney-vs-union-of-indian-and-others-on-4-november-1996","title":{"rendered":"Indira Sawhney vs Union Of Indian And Others on 4 November, 1996"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Supreme Court of India<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">Indira Sawhney vs Union Of Indian And Others on 4 November, 1996<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_bench\">Bench: Sujata V. Manohar, K. Venkataswami<\/div>\n<pre>           PETITIONER:\nINDIRA SAWHNEY\n\n\tVs.\n\nRESPONDENT:\nUNION OF INDIAN AND OTHERS\n\nDATE OF JUDGMENT:\t04\/11\/1996\n\nBENCH:\nSUJATA V. MANOHAR, K. VENKATASWAMI\n\n\n\n\nACT:\n\n\n\nHEADNOTE:\n\n\n\nJUDGMENT:\n<\/pre>\n<p>\t\t\t O R D E R<br \/>\n     In what  is known\tas Mandal case (1992 ) (Suppl) 3 SCC\n<\/p>\n<p>217) which  was delivered  on 16.11.1992  certain directions<br \/>\nwere given  to the  Union of  India.   State Governments and<br \/>\nalso the Administration of Union Territories.  Direction (B)<br \/>\nreads as follows :\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>     (B) Within\t four months  from today<br \/>\n     the  Government   of  India   shall<br \/>\n     specify  the  bases,  applying  the<br \/>\n     relevant\t    and\t       requisite<br \/>\n     socioeconomic criteria  to\t exclude<br \/>\n     socially advanced\tpersons\/sections<br \/>\n     (&#8216;creamy\tlayer&#8217;)\t   from\t   other<br \/>\n     backward\t  classes.\t     The<br \/>\n     implementation of the impugned O.M.<br \/>\n     dated  August   13,1990,  shall  be<br \/>\n     subject  to   exclusion   of   such<br \/>\n     socially advanced\tpersons (&#8216;creamy<br \/>\n     layer&#8217;)<br \/>\n     This direction  shall  not\t however<br \/>\n     apply   to\t   states   where    the<br \/>\n     reservation in  favour of\tbackward<br \/>\n     classes are  already in  operation.<br \/>\n     They can  continue to operate them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>     Such states  shall\t however  evolve<br \/>\n     the said criteria within six months<br \/>\n     from today\t and apply  the same  to<br \/>\n     exclude   the   socially\tadvanced<br \/>\n     persons\/sections\t   from\t     the<br \/>\n     designated\t    &#8216;Other\tBackward<br \/>\n     Classes&#8221;.\t(Emphasis supplied)<br \/>\n     The Union\tof India  as well  as most of the States and<br \/>\nUnion  Territories   have  complied   with   the   abovesaid<br \/>\ndirections of  this Court.   Some States including the State<br \/>\npf Kerala  came up  before this\t Court\twith  petitions\t for<br \/>\nextension of  time to comply with the directions.  The State<br \/>\nof Kerala  filed initially  such  an application on 6.8.1993<br \/>\nseeking an  extension of  6 months  time and modifying it to<br \/>\none year.   This  Court by  an order dated 6.2.1995 observed<br \/>\nthe direction  of this Court has not ben carried out as yet.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The learned  counsel for  the State of Kerala states that in<br \/>\nthe State  of Kerala there is a statute whereunder the State<br \/>\nCommission for Backward Classes is appointed.  Be that as it<br \/>\nmay, the  existence of the Act or the appointment of a State<br \/>\nCommission under  the State  Act cannot\t stand\tin  the\t way<br \/>\nimplementation of  this Court&#8217;s\t direction and even if there<br \/>\nwas any doubt in that behalf the period of over two years is<br \/>\nmore than  sufficient, to  say the  least.   The  impression<br \/>\nwhich this  inaction gives  out is  that the State of Kerala<br \/>\nhas not taken the direction of this Court seriously.  Before<br \/>\nwe take\t any drastic  action for  the non-implementation  of<br \/>\nthis Court&#8217;s  direction we  would like to wait for one month<br \/>\nto enable  the State  of Kerala\t to implement  this  Court&#8217;s<br \/>\ndirection, if  that is not done, the state of Kerala will be<br \/>\ncompelling this Court to take drastic action in this matter.\n<\/p>\n<p>     Thereafter the matter again came up before the Court on<br \/>\n20.3.1995.   Finding that  the State of Kerala has not taken<br \/>\nany steps, this Court issued notice to show cause why action<br \/>\nshould not  be taken  for  non-compliance  of  this  Court&#8217;s<br \/>\norder.\tAgain the matter came up on 10.7.1995.\tEven on that<br \/>\ndate no\t report of  compliance was  submitted to  the Court:<br \/>\ninstead an  affidavit sworn to by the Chief Secretary to the<br \/>\nState was  handed over\texplaining was\tdelayed. After going<br \/>\nthrough the Report, this Court observed as under:\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>     &#8220;Even according  to this  affidavit<br \/>\n     the  Government  of  India\t took  a<br \/>\n     decision way back on 8th September,<br \/>\n     1993  fixing   the\t  criteria   for<br \/>\n     exclusion\tof   socially\tadvanced<br \/>\n     persons etc.   Even  therefore more<br \/>\n     than  1 1\/2 years have elapsed.  It<br \/>\n     appeals that  the file  moved  from<br \/>\n     desk to desk and the implementation<br \/>\n     of this  Court&#8217;s order was delayed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>     We are  far from  happy  about  the<br \/>\n     manner  in\t which\tthe  process  of<br \/>\n     implementation  of\t  this\t Court&#8217;s<br \/>\n     order has\tbeen dealt  with by  the<br \/>\n     State  Government.\t   We  are  also<br \/>\n     unhappy that  despite the\tissuance<br \/>\n     of the  Contempt Notice  the  State<br \/>\n     Government\t did   not  realise  the<br \/>\n     urgency of\t implementing the order.<br \/>\n     Various  State   Governments   have<br \/>\n     already done  so and we fail to see<br \/>\n     why the  State of\tKerala\thas  not<br \/>\n     been  able\t  to  do   so.\tIn   the<br \/>\n     Circumstances we  are   constrained<br \/>\n     to\t observe   that\t the  impression<br \/>\n     Caused is\tthat the  appointment of<br \/>\n     the Committee  is yet  another step<br \/>\n     in the  direction of  further delay<br \/>\n     in the implementation of the order.<br \/>\n     In\t the   absence\tof   the   order<br \/>\n     appointing the  Committee the terms<br \/>\n     of\t appointment  and  the\tduration<br \/>\n     thereof is also not known.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>     Again the\tmatter came  up on  11.9.1995.\tOn that date<br \/>\nanother affidavit from the Chief Secretary to the Government<br \/>\nof Kerala  was filed  along with a copy of the Act passed by<br \/>\nthe Legislative\t Assembly of  the State of Kerala called the<br \/>\nKerala State  Backward Classes\t(Reservation of Appointments<br \/>\nor Posts  in the Services Under the State) Act, 1995 (Kerala<br \/>\nAct 16 of 1995).  On the basis of the said Act it was prayed<br \/>\nin the\taffidavit that\tin view\t of the\t law passed  by\t the<br \/>\nLegislative Assembly,  the order already passed on 10.7.1995<br \/>\nmay be\treviewed relating  to the  contempt of\tcourt.\tEven<br \/>\nthen no\t definite stand\t with regard  to  identification  of<br \/>\n&#8216;creamy layer&#8217;\tin the\tlight of  the judgment of this Court<br \/>\ndirected to  file better and comprehensive affidavit stating<br \/>\nhow the\t State delay  with the question of identification of<br \/>\n&#8216;creamy layer&#8217;.\t As there  was no further fruitful action on<br \/>\nthe part of the State of Kerala, this Court was compelled to<br \/>\nconsider the  relevant scope,  ambit and extent of its power<br \/>\nto punish for contempt where the State Government is alleged<br \/>\nto have\t failed to comply with the directions of this Court.<br \/>\nFor that  purpose, the\tservices of  a senior  counsel\twere<br \/>\nrequisitioned to  assist the  Court.   In the meanwhile Writ<br \/>\nPetition  Nos.\t 699  and   727\t of   1995  challenging\t the<br \/>\nconstitutionality of the Act passed by the State Legislature<br \/>\nreferred to  above came\t to be\tfiled.\t This Court by order<br \/>\ndated 27.2.1996\t directed those\t two writ  petitions  to  be<br \/>\nplaced for  disposal along  with this  matter. On  5.8.1996,<br \/>\nlearned counsel\t appearing on  behalf of the State of Kerala<br \/>\nsought some  time  to  clarify\tthe  State  of\tthe  present<br \/>\nGovernment as  by then there was a change in the Government.<br \/>\nThough, the  learned counsel  prayed for  time till  October<br \/>\n1996, this  Court having regard to the time already granted,<br \/>\ngave time  till 10.9.1996.  Shri P.S.Poti,  learned  counsel<br \/>\nappearing for  the State of Kerala expect asking for further<br \/>\nmore  time,   could  not  come\tforward\t with  any  position<br \/>\nsuggestions  regarding\t the  steps   taken  by\t  the  State<br \/>\nGovernment to  identify the  &#8216;creamy layer&#8217;  when the matter<br \/>\ncame up for hearing on 23.9.1996.\n<\/p>\n<p>     In the circumstances out of sheer exhaustion and having<br \/>\nregard to  the fact that the constitutionality of the Kerala<br \/>\nAct 16\tof 1995\t is pending  disposal before  this Court, we<br \/>\nhave decided  to get  the  information\tourselves  regarding<br \/>\n&#8216;creamy layer&#8217; issue through a High Level Committee.\n<\/p>\n<p>     Accordingly, we  request the  learned Chief  Justice of<br \/>\nthe Kerala High Court to appoint a retired judge of the High<br \/>\nCourt to  be the  Chairman of  the High\t Level Committee who<br \/>\nwill induct  not more  than 4  members from various walks of<br \/>\nlife to\t identify the  &#8216;creamy layer&#8217;  among the  designated<br \/>\nother backward\tclasses in  Kerala State in the light of the<br \/>\nruling of  this Court  in Mandal case and forward the report<br \/>\nto this Court within 3 months form the date of this order.\n<\/p>\n<p>     We direct\tthe  State  of\tKerala\tto  extend  all\t co-<br \/>\noperation including  the  expenses  in\tthis  regard.\t The<br \/>\nlearned Chief  Justice of the Kerala High Court will fix the<br \/>\nterms of the Commission including the honorarium.  The State<br \/>\npf Kerala will meet with the financial obligation.\n<\/p>\n<p>     A Copy of the Office Memorandum issued by Government of<br \/>\nIndia.\tMinistry of Personal, Public Grievances and Pensions<br \/>\n(Department of\tPersonnel and  Training)  dated\t a  8.9.1993<br \/>\npursuant to  the directions  of this  Court in &#8216;Mandal Case&#8217;<br \/>\n(available at  pages 37\t to 43\tof the\tpaper book  in\tWrit<br \/>\nPetition No.699\/95)  may be  sent by the Office along with a<br \/>\nCopy of\t this Court&#8217;s  order for  use and  guidance  of\t the<br \/>\nmembers of  the High  Level  Committee\tin  identifying\t the<br \/>\n&#8216;creamy layer&#8217;\tamong other Backward Classes in the State of<br \/>\nKerala.\t List the matter after the report is filed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court of India Indira Sawhney vs Union Of Indian And Others on 4 November, 1996 Bench: Sujata V. Manohar, K. Venkataswami PETITIONER: INDIRA SAWHNEY Vs. RESPONDENT: UNION OF INDIAN AND OTHERS DATE OF JUDGMENT: 04\/11\/1996 BENCH: SUJATA V. MANOHAR, K. VENKATASWAMI ACT: HEADNOTE: JUDGMENT: O R D E R In what is known as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supreme-court-of-india"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Indira Sawhney vs Union Of Indian And Others on 4 November, 1996 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/indira-sawhney-vs-union-of-indian-and-others-on-4-november-1996\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Indira Sawhney vs Union Of Indian And Others on 4 November, 1996 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; 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