SC says quota report be placed before House first

Apparently addressing concerns that it was encroaching into Parliamentary territory, the Supreme Court has said the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the OBC reservation Bill will be placed before it after it is tabled in the House.

Against the backdrop of political parties expressing apprehensions over its order that the Standing Committee report be placed before it, the Committee met today and said the report would only be tabled in Parliament first.

Taking note of Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian's point that the Bill was under examination of the Committee, the court, in its order signed yesterday, observed that "in all probability, it is submitted that the report, if received from Parliament (committee), will be placed before Parliament in the Winter Session which is likely to commence from 27-11-2006.

"Assurance is given by him (ASG) that a copy of the Standing Committee's report shall be placed in a sealed cover before this court," the court said.

"The Committee will submit its report to Parliament," senior Congress MP Janardan Dwivedi, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee of the HRD Ministry, told PTI after a meeting in which the issue of the Supreme Court order seeking a report on the quota Bill came up.

The Committee is expected to meet on November 1 and 2 during which it is likely to focus on the Bill.

The Bill was introduced in Parliament on August 24 and was later referred to it.

The apex court's order on Monday had its echo at the meeting with some members drawing the attention to the situation arising out of it. But there was no detailed discussion on the issue as the meeting mainly deliberated on the Bill to amend the Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act (SITA), sources said.