Beigh Arif (CNI)

A fresh political storm has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir over the reservation policy after Peoples Conference

chairman Sajad Gani Lone accused the government of seeking to dismiss a key petition challenging the current reservation setup. In a sharp rebuttal, Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo accused Lone of deliberately

misrepresenting facts and creating confusion among the public.Lone had taken to X claiming that the affidavit submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in the Zahoor Ahmad Bhat & Others vs UT of J&K case described the petition as “frivolous” and sought its outright

dismissal. He also criticized the government for not informing the High Court about the Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to review the reservation policy.“Not even a mention of the Cabinet Sub-Committee. Is the government not taking its own initiative seriously?” Lone

questioned, raising eyebrows over what he termed a “legal mystery.”However, Sakina Itoo dismissed Lone’s remarks as misleading. “The affidavit filed in court is not the final word. If necessary, the government will file a new one,” she stated, adding that the existing reservation

framework indeed needs an overhaul.“The current reservation policy is flawed and irrational. That’s why the government formed a Cabinet Sub-Committee to look into the matter in detail. Let Sajad Lone show some patience until the committee completes its work,” she

said.Minister Itoo stressed that the government is committed to implementing a more balanced and rational reservation system. “The Omar Abdullah-led administration does not support the existing structure. We are working towards a policy that ensures justice and

fairness.”Responding to the court proceedings, Itoo said that the government’s plea for dismissal of the petition was based on procedural grounds. “The petition, as it stands, is legally weak and misrepresented. The government rightly

challenged its maintainability, but that doesn’t mean we back the current policy,” she clarified.The official affidavit filed by the government termed the petition “an abuse of

judicial process” and accused the petitioners of approaching the court with “ulterior motives.” It stated that the reservation percentage for Scheduled Tribes remained unchanged and claimed the plea was filed with the intent to mislead the court. (CNI)