NEW DELHI: The Union government has sought more time before the Supreme Court for holding consultation with States on pleas for identifying minorities at the state and district levels, saying the matter is sensitive in nature and will have far-reaching ramifications.
It also said the comments or views of the 19 State Governments/UTs in the matter have not been received as on date, and a reminder was sent to these States requesting them to clarify their positions at the earliest so that the considered stand can be placed before the court.
In an affidavit in PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the Ministry of Minority Affairs also pointed out 14 State Governments namely Punjab, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Odisha, Uttrakhand, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, West Bengal, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and 3 Union Territories namely Ladakh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Chandigarh have furnished their comments/views in the matter.
The response also stated the Central Government has held consultative meetings with all the State Governments/UTs and also with the other stakeholders viz Ministry of Home Affairs, D/o Legal Affairs Ministry of Law & Justice, D/o Higher Education- Ministry of Education, National Commission for Minorities (NCM), and National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions(NCMEI).
"Some of the State Governments/Union Territories have requested for additional time to have wider consultations with all the stakeholders before they form their considered opinion on the matter," it further said.
The response also stated that the State Governments/UTs have been requested that in view of the urgency of the matter, they should expeditiously undertake the exercise with stakeholders in this regard so as to ensure that the views of the State Government are finalised and conveyed to the Ministry of Minority Affairs at the earliest.
Earlier in August too, the Centre had sought more time from the Supreme Court to conduct meetings with state governments and union territories in connection with identification of religious minorities, including Hindus, at the state level.
In May, the court had noted that the Centre has not taken a clear stand on a plea seeking a direction to it to lay down guidelines for identification of minorities at the state level, including Hindus.
The ministry had previously said "State governments can also declare a religious or linguistic community as a minority community within the said state."
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