The Supreme Court of India on Thursday set aside Punjab and Haryana High Court order staying the Khattar government’s law on providing 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs for local candidates.
A bench comprising Justice L Nageswara Rao and PS Narasimha also asked the Punjab and Haryana HC to decide on the issue within a month and direct the state government not to take any coercive steps against the employers for the time being.
“We do not intend to deal with the merits of the matter. We request the High Court to decide the matter within four weeks from today. We will ask the Counsels not to seek an adjournment,” the bench said.
The Haryana government’s law (The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act 2020) provides 75 per cent reservation for local people in private sector jobs having a monthly salary of less than Rs 30,000.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Haryana government in the case.
Appearing for the Khattar government, Mehta submitted that the HC’s order should be interfered with on the grounds that it has not recorded any reasons and it has stayed the ongoing implementation of a statute, ignoring the presumption of constitutionality of legislation.
The Haryana government had appealed in the top court challenging the Punjab and Haryana HC order granting an interim stay on its law providing 75 per cent quota in private sector jobs for residents of the state.
Earlier on February 4, the high court granted the interim stay on the Haryana government law based on pleas filed by various industry associations from Faridabad and other bodies in the state, including in Gurugram.
