'Law on employment stayed in 90 seconds', SC agrees to hear Haryana govt's plea

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by the Haryana government challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which directed a stay on the state government's law to give 75 per cent reservation to youths belonging to the state in the private sector.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by the Haryana government challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which directed a stay on the state government's law to give 75 per cent reservation to youths belonging to the state in the private sector. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and sought an early hearing.

Mehta submitted that the statutory enactment of the legislature was under challenge before the high court and after hearing the matter for 90 seconds, the court stayed the law. He added that the high court order is not out so far and urged the apex court to list the Haryana government's challenge to the order on Monday subject to placing the order on record. The Chief Justice agreed to it.

On February 3, in a setback to the BJP-JJP government in Haryana, the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the state government law to give 75 per cent reservation to the youths belonging to the state in the private sector. The law under the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 is applicable in industries having more than 10 employees.

A Bench headed by Justice Ajay Tewari, while staying the order, admitted a bunch of petitions challenging the law to provide reservation to the domiciles of the state. Under the law, a provision has been made to impose a fine, ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh, on the industries which do not employ local candidates.

In a petition, the Gurgaon Industrial Association said the impugned Act was against the provisions of the Constitution and also against the basic principle of meritocracy that acted as the foundation for businesses to grow and remain competitive. Fulfilling one of the key poll promises made by Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a crucial coalition partner of the BJP, the law that provides 75 per cent reservation came into effect on January 15.

With agency inputs