Date:07/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/07/stories/2007040719371700.htm

National

Court order unreasonable: Bhardwaj

H.R. Bhardwaj

New Delhi : Terming ``unreasonable'' the Allahabad High Court judgment that declared that Muslims can no longer be treated as a minority community in Uttar Pradesh, the Centre on Friday said it would challenge the verdict.

``We would do everything to restore status quo so that Muslims continue to be treated as a minority,'' Union Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj told reporters.

Replying to questions on the judgement, he maintained that it was an established fact that Muslims were a minority and they should continue to be so.

``I have not read the judgement. But from what I could gather, it is an unreasonable judgement. We are not accepting it, we will seek its annulment,'' Mr. Bhardwaj said on the sidelines of a seminar on ``Access to Justice'' organised by the Confederation of Bar.

He, however, refrained from commenting on whether the judiciary was being unduly proactive. — PTI