PIL seeks quota for Dhangar community in ST category

Mumbai, Aug 26 (PTI) A PIL was today filed in BombayHigh Court seeking a direction to the Maharashtra governmentto consider providing reservation to Dhangar (shepherd)community in the Scheduled Tribes category in jobs andeducation. The PIL, filed by activist Hemant Patil, said Dhangarcommunity was already included in the ST list in Maharashtra,but was never considered by the government for reservation injobs and education in the ST category. Earlier, Patil had filed a PIL seeking separatereservation for the community in the state. This PIL is stillpending in the high court. Patil in the fresh PIL prayed for reservation to thecommunity in the ST category and it is expected to come up forhearing next week, according to the petitioner’s lawyer R NKachave. The petitioner contended that on July 12 he had made arepresentation to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvisseeking implementation of reservation for the shepherdcommunity in the ST category as it was included in the STlist. Patil, who is also president of NGO ‘Bharat AgainstCorruption", said he had also protested on the issue in frontof Vidhan Bhavan along with his supporters on August 1, thoughthe state government has not yet taken any action. The PIL said that the ST list was amended as per therecommendations of Kalekar report. The ST list of the thenMadhya Pradesh at serial number 26 listed Dhangar communitywithout referring to any particular district or tehsil. Thismeant that Dhangar community from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarhand some parts of Maharashtra were included in ST category. It said that the ST list of the then Bombay (nowMaharashtra) at serial number 27 listed Dhangars withoutreferring to any area which meant that members of thecommunity from the entire Bombay state were included in theScheduled Tribe category. On May 1, 1960, Gujarat and Maharashtra becameseparate states. The ST list of Maharashtra showed thecommunity at serial number 27, said the PIL. At the relevanttime, one of the communities in the new state was Dhangarwhich was included in the ST category. However, till date the community has not been givenreservation in the ST category, Patil said. At present, the community gets reservation in NomadicTribe category only, the PIL said and demanded that the stategovernment should consider giving reservation to members ofthis community in the ST category. PTI SVS GK SCBAS