Mysore/Mysuru: Former High Court Judge H.N. Nagamohan Das has said that reservation is a fundamental right, while the Supreme Court ruling is not in accordance with the ideals of the Constitution.

The former judge was speaking after inaugurating a public hearing organised in Kalamandira in city yesterday. Nagamohan Das heads a one-man Commission to look into the demands of increasing SC/ST reservation in the state in accordance with the percentage of the population.

He said that disinvestment, privatisation, shutting down of government-run establishments and institutions are a threat to reservation and social justice. He said that the only solution to the issue is the rescinding of the 117th Amendment in Parliament for reservation in promotions for SC/STs and make it a fundamental right.

“60 lakh posts are vacant in Central and State governments, and in Karnataka itself, 2,69,000 posts are vacant. If these had been filled, many would have got reserved posts. While there are vacant posts, the government is recruiting employees on contract basis and is outsourcing jobs where there is no reservation,” Das said.

“Reservation in all sectors is a must for empowerment of all backward classes, scheduled castes and tribes. Reservation and social justice is a fundamental right of all vulnerable sections,” he said.

Elected representatives and former legislators including former MP R. Dhruvanarayan and MLA Ashwin Kumar, member of the SC/ST Reservation Panel advocate Ananth Naik, Member Secretary of the Panel Sabir Mohammed, Panel Members Prof. S. Chandrashekar and Muniraju, Joint Director of the Social Welfare Department  Prakash and hundreds of people as well as SC and ST outfits from Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Chikkamagalur, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts participated in the public hearing.