Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday announced in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has reserved 58 posts for the Scheduled Castes for the first time, in the advertisement issued for the appointment of Law Officers, and 178 posts are for general category.
Responding to a Call Attention Notice moved by the MLA of Nawanshahr, on behalf of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who also holds the portfolio of Home Affairs and Justice, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that he salutes the thinking of Sardar Bhagwant Singh Mann under whose leadership these posts were created some time ago but faced a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court due to some technical reasons.
He said that now the advertisement has been issued again on November 23, 2023 for the appointment of all posts out of which 58 including 12 Additional Advocate General, 5 Senior Deputy Advocate General, 16 Deputy Advocate General, 23 Assistant Advocate General and 2 Advocate on Record are reserved for Schedule Caste (SC) candidates. The Finance Minister said that the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance ruled the state several times but despite the fact that state has more than 34 percent population belonging to the schedule castes categories, no government made reservations for lawyers belonging to Scheduled Caste category while appointing law officers.
He said, "When I was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the first time, the Congress Government of that time brought the first bill regarding the appointment of Advocate General and I raised the first question in this holy house about the reservation in these posts. But at that time there was a government of Congress party, which I think has been cheating by taking votes in the name of Dalits for centuries”.
The Finance Minister said that this is the first government which has brought reservation for the children of the poor people of Punjab, who face many hardships while providing higher education to their children to become lawyers. He said that within a few days these posts will be filled and these advocates will perform their duties in the High Court.
The Finance Minister said that today is a historic day for the Dalit community of Punjab and while thanking the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, he also thanked the Member of the house for bringing this noteworthy Call Attention Notice.