Quashing of quota in private jobs instils hope in industrialists, migrant workers in Haryana

Days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed a law guaranteeing 75% reservation in private sector jobs for residents of Haryana, several stakeholders, including industrialists, workers, contractors, and trade union leaders, are breathing a sigh of relief.

Days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed a law guaranteeing 75% reservation in private sector jobs for residents of Haryana, several stakeholders, including industrialists, workers, contractors, and trade union leaders, are breathing a sigh of relief.

Vikas Gupta, general secretary of the Manesar Industries Welfare Association, which is one of the petitioners in the case, hopes that the verdict will prevent political outfits across the country from promising such laws.

“Why can’t someone from Uttar Pradesh get a job in Haryana? The law was against the spirit of the Constitution. I hope every State and political party gets this message loud and clear,” Mr. Gupta said.

The law, enacted by the Haryana government in 2021, made it mandatory for employers in the State to reserve 75% of jobs with a monthly salary of less than Rs. 30,000 (originally Rs. 50,000) for State residents.

Reservation in private sector jobs and Rs. 5,100 monthly old-age pension were two major poll promises of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which rules the State in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Both promises remain unfulfilled even as the State is scheduled for Assembly and Lok Sabha polls next year, and the JJP, which draws its support largely from the agrarian class (primarily the Jat community), is trying to reclaim its support base that was dented during the year-long farmers’ agitation in 2020.

JJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has said that the State government will move the Supreme Court against the verdict.

However, many individuals such as Mr. Gupta, said the High Court verdict had given them the confidence to continue fighting the case if it comes up for hearing in the apex court.