UP government decides to scrap SC/ST quota in promotion

May 5, 2012

Lucknow, May 5: The Uttar Pradesh government late on Friday night decided to implement the Supreme Court order upholding the Allahabad high court's verdict to quash provision of reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) officers and employees in promotions. As a first step in this direction, the state cabinet approved the decision to remove the reservation system from promotion.

Since the state assembly is not in session, the UP cabinet decided to bring an ordinance to repeal the existing rule related to reservation in promotions. A formal proposal will be later placed before the assembly session expected to be held in second week of May for approval.

The Supreme Court had on April 30 upheld the high court order to scrap quota in promotions. The legal battle on the issue had started soon after the Mayawati government took charge in 2007. The BSP government decided to implement the quota for SC/ST in recruitment as well as in promotions.

The order was challenged in the high court by a section of employees who were adversely affected by it. The high court had last year quashed the provision describing quota in promotion as unconstitutional. The Mayawati government, however, challenged the high court order in the apex court. However, when the Supreme Court upheld the high court order, BSP supremo Mayawati, who is now a member of Rajya Sabha, earlier this week raised the issue in Parliament and demanded amendment in the constitutional provision to provide quota to SC/ST in promotions in government services.

While the matter is being debated in Parliament with Mayawati playing the dalit card and Congress trying to placate her to win support for presidential elections, the SP government in the state decided to implement the Supreme Court order. However, sources said that the Akhilesh Yadav government has adopted a 'balanced' approach'. It has decided not to allow reservation in promotions from now onwards.

This, sources said, means that those SC/ST employees and officers who have already been promoted during the Mayawati regime, would not be demoted. As a result, some two lakh government personnel of the SC/ST category, who got seniority due to promotion, will remain where they are. On the other hand, the decision of 'not allowing quota in promotions from now onwards' would affect around 20 lakh government personnel belonging to the general and other backward classes category.

The government swung into action following the threat by the employees opposing quota in promotions to hold agitation over the delay in implementation of Supreme Court order. However, a section of employees benefited by the quota in promotions has decided to file a special leave petition (SLP) in the apex court for the review of the April 30 order.

"Resolving the promotional issue was one of the election promises of the SP. After being voted to power, the SP government is morally committed to fulfill it. The matter is thus top priority for the government. The change is being done now to avoid violation of election code of conduct which would be in place after announcement of civic polls by the end of this month," said a senior officer.

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Chaos continues as IndiGo cancels more flights including 73 from Bengaluru airport

News Network

December 4,2025

Domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled over 180 flights from three major airports — Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru — on Thursday, December 4, as the airline struggles to secure the required crew to operate its flights in the wake of new flight-duty and rest-period norms for pilots.

While the number of cancellations at Mumbai airport stands at 86 (41 arrivals and 45 departures) for the day, at Bengaluru, 73 flights have been cancelled, including 41 arrivals, according to a PTI report that quoted sources.

"IndiGo cancelled over 180 flights on Thursday at three airports-Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru," the source told the news agency.

Besides, it had cancelled as many as 33 flights at Delhi airport for Thursday, the source said, adding, "The number of cancellations is expected to be higher by the end of the day."

The Gurugram-based airline's On-Time Performance (OTP) nosedived to 19.7 per cent at six key airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — on December 3, as it struggled to get the required crew to operate its services, down from almost half of December 2, when it was 35 per cent.

"IndiGo has been facing acute crew shortage since the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) norms, leading to cancellations and huge delays in its operations across the airports," a source had told PTI on Wednesday.

Chaos continued at several major airports for the third day on Thursday because of the cancellations.

A spokesperson for the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru said that 73 IndiGo flights had been cancelled on Thursday.

At least 150 flights were cancelled and dozens of others delayed on Wednesday, airport sources said, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, according to news agency Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions and has asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as its plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays.

It may be mentioned here that the pilots' body, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze".

The FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, the DGCA, not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" in accordance with the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

In a letter to the DGCA late on Wednesday, the FIP urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines, which have the capacity to operate them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages."

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