Centre terms Allahabad HC order on Muslims as 'unreasonable'

NEW DELHI: Terming as 'unreasonable' the Allahabad High Court judgement that declared that Muslims can no longer be treated as a minority in Uttar Pradesh, the Centre on Friday said it would challenge the verdict.

"We would do everything to restore the status quo so that Muslims continue to be treated as a minority," Union Law Minister HR Bharadwaj told reporters.

Replying to a volley of questions on the judgement passed by a single judge Bench, he maintained that it was an established fact that Muslims are a minority and they should continue to be so.

"I have not read the judgement. But from what I could gather, it is an unreasonable judgement. We are not accepting it, we will seek its annulment," Bharadwaj said on the sidelines of the two All India seminar on 'Access to Justice' organised by the Confederation of Bar.

Bharadwaj, however, refrained from commenting on the question as to whether the judiciary was being unduly proactive.

Asked about the Government's strategy in the wake of the verdict, the Minister said that the Centre would implead itself before the Allahabad High Court on the matter and seek its (judgement) annulment.

The Minister also said that a meeting of the UPA-Left coalition chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday would formulate an appropriate strategy to deal with the Supreme Court's recent decision to stay the 27 per cent reservation of seats for OBCs in elite Central educational institutions.

He however, refrained from commenting further on the matter.