Haryana challenges HC’s job quota stay in SC

New Delhi: Within 24 hours of the Punjab and Haryana high court staying a Haryana law mandating 75% quota in private jobs for locals, the Manohar Lal Khattar government moved the Supreme Court for vacation of the injunction and alleged the HC stalled implementation of the law after a 90 second hearing in clear breach of principles of natural justice.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for Haryana government, sought an urgent hearing on the state’s appeal from a bench headed by CJI N V Ramana and informed the court that he had appeared before the HC to argue in defence of the law and the necessity of such reservation for locals in private jobs, which offered salaries less than Rs 30,000 per month.
“I was asked by the HC to argue. When I started and had hardly completed two sentences in about the one-and-a-half minute-long hearing, the HC dictated the order granting an interim stay on the operation of the law, Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act,” Mehta said. CJI Ramana agreed to hear the appeal.
“This, by itself, is a serious matter and I have many points to make. Despite the order being passed hurriedly, the same is not yet uploaded,” the SG said and sought the CJI’s permission to circulate the special leave petition subject to his placing the order of the HC on record. The CJI permitted the circulation of the SLP, subject to the order being placed on record.