Centre gets 3 months to decide minority status in states

New Delhi, May 10: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the Centre three months to hold consultations with state governments on the issue of granting minority status to Hindus in states where they are outnumbered by other communities. The court told the Centre that these were matters which required resolution and everything cannot be adjudicated. A two-judge Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul made the remarks as the Centre’s counsel sought a pass over in the matter. The Centre had filed an affidavit on Monday saying the issue has far-reaching ramifications and it needs more time to consult the states. The Supreme Court was hearing a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking minority status for Hindus in nine states and Union Territories where they were numerically weak. The plea, filed in 2020 by Upadhyay, stated that as per the 2011 Census Hindus were a minority in Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Punjab and thereby they should be given minority status in these states in accordance with the principle laid down by the Supreme Court in its 2002 TMA Pai Foundation ruling. Seeking the dismissal of the plea, filed by Upadhyay, the Centre said in the affidavit that “the reliefs sought by the petitioner are not in larger public or national interest”. (UNI)