Summit Report, Gangtok 30 Jan:
Citizen Action Party-Sikkim, convinced that the Supreme Court’s ruling on domicile-based reservation in Post-Graduate medical courses “raises grave concerns for Sikkim’s Special Status” and demanded that the SKM Government clarify its stand on the issue.
Bhushan Adhikari, Vice President (Political Affairs), CAP, in a press release issued today, contends that the Supreme Court judgment is question “has sent shockwaves across Sikkim.”
Accepting that the judgment pertains to residence-based reservations in PG medical admissions, CAP believes that “its broader implications on Sikkim’s special status under Article 371F cannot be ignored.”
“The Citizen Action Party – Sikkim (CAP-S) demands that the SKM government immediately clarify whether this judgment will affect the rights of Sikkim Subject Certificate (SSC) and Certificate of Identification (COI) holders,” he specifies.
Highlighting the terms of Merger and the distinct identity assured by Article 371F, the release alleges that “over the past few years,” Sikkim has seen “a systematic dilution of these safeguards.”
In this light, “the recent Supreme Court judgment expanding the definition of ‘Sikkimese’ in income tax matters has already created widespread insecurity among the people,” adding, “Now, this ruling on domicile further adds salt to the wound, raising fears that Sikkim’s unique identity is being gradually eroded.”
“The CAP-S firmly believes that the concept of domicile is at the core of Sikkim’s special status. If all citizens of India carry a single domicile, as the Supreme Court states, does this mean that the protections granted under Article 371F will be rendered meaningless? Will the SSC and COI lose their significance in future legal interpretations? These are urgent questions that demand immediate answers from the SKM-led government,” the release questions, and demands that the State Government “take a clear and firm stand on whether this ruling has any bearing on Sikkim’s legal framework.”
