No reservation for affluent sections, says RSS

March 13, 2016

Nagaur (Rajasthan), Mar 13: In a veiled reference to the recent Jat agitation, RSS today disapproved of reservation demands by the "affluent" sections and favoured a study to ascertain whether the deserving backward classes are actually getting the quota benefits.

Pitching for social harmony, the Sangh fountainhead said members of the "Hindu community are responsible" for caste-based discrimination and "we need to eradicate it" for social justice, regarding which he invoked B R Ambedkar.

Disapproving of demands for quota by "affluent" sections, RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said the provisions of reservation made by Bhimrao Ambedkar were for social justice and that concept should be kept in mind by those demanding reservation today.

"It is felt that this thinking (demand by affluent class) is not in the right direction. People of such (affluent) class should give up their right and should help the weaker section of the society. But instead of that, they are demanding reservation for themselves which is not a thinking in the right direction," he said.

He did not make any direct reference to any section making such demands but appeared to be hinting at Jats who recently launched a major violent agitation in Haryana for reservation.

He was addressing a press conference at the end of a three-day conclave of Akhil Bhariya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the RSS, which passed resolutions on Social Harmony as also Education and Healthcare.

"Any kind of discriminatory behavior and evil like untouchability should be uprooted altogether. For the smooth functioning of the society, it is utmost essential that all the social and religious institutions in the society need to steer the course based on our hoary ideals of life," said the resolution on Social Harmony.

"Caste-based discrimination is a matter of concern for all of us and members of the Hindu community are responsible for it. But now we need to eradicate it. A message for this should be conveyed in the society so that there is no discrimination, atrocities against anyone and social harmony should be maintained," Joshi said.

He said there should be a proper study to ascertain whether the backward classes which really need reservation are actually getting the benefits.

"Baba Ambedkar gave the provision of reservation. It was for social justice. Today, the level of education of dalit class has improved," he said.

"There are many backward castes today. It should be studied and discussed whether the deserving castes are getting reservation benefits. This issue should be studied," he said, adding "it is also a matter of detailed discussion whether or not creamy layer system should be there in all categories."

Sharing details of the resolutions, he said the document on 'Social Harmony' underlines the importance of ‘Samrasta’ (social harmony) in day-to-day life and eradication of caste-based discrimination, untouchability and mutual distrust from the society.

In the resolutions on Education and Healthcare, he said it was underlined that both the facilities should be made available to everyone. "Accessibility, affordability and quality of these services should be there for all," he said.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

Comments