Bench to answer minority question

Are you in the minority? Wait awhile and the judiciary will tell you.

An eleven-judge Constitution bench is hearing arguments on this politically ticklish issue and should soon decide the ambit and scope of Article 30 of the constitution which gives fundamental right to religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

For some of the petitioners senior counsel F S Nariman submitted that the right to establish an administer minority educational institutions was given to the minorities to accommodate their rights granted to them under the Government of India Act, 1935. Under the act, minorities were given special representation in the legislature. This provision was dropped when the present constitution was framed.

Many petitions have been filed regarding the minority's right to establish an administrator in educational institutions. These were initially heard by a seven-judge Constitution bench but, subsequently, was referred to a larger bench of 11 judges which began hearing Tuesday.