CHANDIGARH- January 24, 2009: Professor Virendra Kumar, UGC Emeritus Fellow & Former Chairman, Department of Laws, Dean, Faculty of Law & Fellow, P.U. delivered a special lecture on “Dynamics of Reservation Policy: Towards A More Inclusive Social Order” at ICSSR Complex, P.U. Campus here today.In his lecture, Professor Virendra Kumar analyzed the whole scope of reservation policy in terms of three main perspectives, which he identified as ‘judicial resilience for accommodating legislative intent;’ ‘reservation as a dynamic social phenomenon;’ and ‘reservation as a strategy for inclusive social order.’ He also questioned the exclusion of private unaided educational institution, and minority professional educational institutions like medicine and engineering from the purview of reservation policy. In his view, the distinction between the so-called aided and un-aided educational institutions is invidious because the most critical support received by an educational institution from the State is not ‘financial’, but its ‘recognition.’ If such an invaluable support is availed of by both aided and unaided educational institutions alike, there seems to be no reason for exempting the unaided institutions from the ambit of reservation policy. He also questioned exclusion of SCs and STs from the purview of’ exclusion of creamy layer’ both by the Courts and the Parliament, because, in his views, so far as the basis of determining backwardness is concerned, there is no differentiation either in degree or in kind between the SCs and the STs on the one side, and OBCs/SEBCs on the other.
Hon’ble Mr. Justice Bhan in his presidential remarks emphasized the importance of holding such lectures, because the critical analysis of the judgments as done by Professor Kumar do provide useful inputs that significantly assist the courts in the administration of justice.
Professor R.C. Sobti, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, in his welcome address, stressed the importance of the role of ICSSR in organizing the series of special lectures for dissemination of knowledge according to Prof. Bhupinder Brar, Hony. Director, ICSSR, P.U.