High Court stays Haryana govt's 75% job quota for locals
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered a stay on the Haryana government's decision to provide 75% quota to locals in private jobs. A bench of Justice Ajay Tewari and Justice Pankaj Jain granted the interim stay on the law, reported Live Law. The court has also sought a reply from the state government on the issue.
- The court's order comes as a blow to the BJP-JJP government in Haryana, for which providing private job quota to locals was a key poll promise.
- In a move seen as controversial, the state government had allowed as much as 75% private employment reservation for local residents.
- The high court's order came on a petition filed by the Faridabad Industries Association (FIA).
The law in question, named the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020, had come into effect from January this year. The law is applicable to all private sector jobs that offer a salary of less than Rs. 30,000 per month. It would apply to all companies, societies, trusts, partnership firms, and other private entities, according to the government.
The petition filed by the FIA stated the law was arbitrary and violated several articles of the Indian constitution, including 14, 15, and 19. It "represents an unprecedented intrusion by the government into the fundamental rights of private employers to carry out their business," as per the plea. Making these arguments, the petitioners had sought a stay on the implementation of the law.
Reacting to the court's order on Thursday, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said the government would "continue to fight." "We will continue to fight for employment opportunities of Haryanvi youth #75%reservation (sic)," he wrote in a Twitter post. It might be noted that critics of the government and business experts have said the law would result in companies moving out of the state.
