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The Allahabad High Court has recently directed the Uttar Pradesh government to take a decision within two months on the representation forward to it by the Centre that seeks inclusion of State's Rajbhar community in the Scheduled Tribes list.

The bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Dinesh Pathak observed that since the Central government has forwarded the petitioner's representation to the Uttar Pradesh government, therefore, no useful purpose would be served to keep the matter pending before this court.

The Court was hearing a writ petition moved by Jago Rajbhar Jago Samiti and another. Initially, the petitioners had applied through a sitting Member of Legislative Assembly for including the Rajabhar community of the State of Uttar Pradesh in the list of Scheduled Tribes. 

The matter then reached the Central Government which had written on October 11, 2021, to the principal secretary, social welfare department, government of Uttar Pradesh, that it could not process the matter unless the proposal for including Bhar/Rajbhar community in the ST list had been processed by the state government.

The communication of the Central government further revealed that the petitioners have not approached the appropriate authority of the State Government over this matter as yet, however, the Central Government had sent the representations received by various authorities in this regard to the Principal Secretary, Social Welfare Department, UP Govt for the purpose of taking appropriate actions in the matter.

Therefore, Court noted that under these circumstances, there would be no use in keeping the matter pending before the court and accordingly directed the Principal Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Secretariat, Lucknow to take a decision on the representations forwarded by the Center within a period of two months in accordance with the law.

Case Title: C/M Jago Rajbhar Jago Samiti And Another v. Union Of India And 4 Others