SHANKAR GUHA NIYOGI-Death of a Working Class Hero

Evading the Issue THE process of postponing by instalments a final decision on the implementation of the Mandal Commission's, recommendations appears 10 be proceeding unhindered. The latest interlude has been engineered through some fairly intricate manoeuvring. The Supreme Court had on September II, September 21 and October 1, 1990 given ambiguous rulings that said practically nothing and which helped only to spread confusion as to its precise stand on the August 13, 1990 notification, issued by the National Front government, providing for 27 per cent reservation in central government recruitment for socially and educationally backward classes. On that occasion the only unequivocal stand taken by the court was that the hearing of the writ petitions challenging the constitutionality of the August 13 notification would commence on November 6, 1990.