Kerala High Court Stays Inclusion of Christian Nadar Community in OBC List

Kochi: The High Court has stayed the reservation of Christian Nadar in the state. The High Court ruled that the state government did not have the power to add new categories to the backward list.

The government had on February 2 ordered the inclusion of Christian Nadars outside the CSI Nadar community in the reservation list.

The order was passed by Justice PB Suresh Kumar on a petition filed by Akshay S Chandran, a resident of Perur, Kottayam and Kuttappan Chettyar, a resident of Vattiyoorkavu.

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The reservation was made by the government on the recommendation of the State Backwardness Commission.

However, the petitioners contended that the backwardness should be determined by the National Backwardness Commission and the notification should be issued by the President on the basis of the recommendation.

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The court’s interim order observed that the government’s action was unconstitutional.

Earlier, a division bench of the high court had rejected a plea that the reservation should be restricted to Hindu Nadars only.