SC gives 6-week time to states, UT to file reply

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the states of Rajasthan and Telangana and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir six weeks to submit their responses on the issue of identification of minorities at the state level, after the Centre pleaded for giving them a “last opportunity”.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, told a bench of Justices S K Kaul and A Amanullah that responses were still awaited from Rajasthan and Telanagana. Part reply from Jammu and Kashmir was also awaited, he said.
He urged the bench to give them the last opportunity to furnish their responses.
The bench, while giving them six weeks to respond, said copy of its order be sent to the two states and the Union Territory informing them that the apex court will close the opportunity for accepting their responses if they fail to do so within the deadline.
The top court posted the matter for further hearing in July. The apex court was hearing the pleas, including the one filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, which has sought directions for framing guidelines for identification of minorities at the state level, contending that Hindus are in minority in 10 states.
While hearing the matter on January 17, the apex court had expressed displeasure over six states and Union Territories (UTs), including Rajasthan and Telengana, not submitting their comments to the Centre on the issue of identification of minorities at the state level.
“We fail to appreciate why these states/Union Territories do not respond and thus give last opportunity to the central government to obtain the responses from them, failing which we will presume that they have nothing to say,” it had said. On January 17, Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, had referred to the status report filed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs which said that 24 states and six UTs have so far furnished their comments on the issue.