- IAS officer Santosh Verma accused the high court of blocking ST candidates from civil judge posts
- Verma leads Madhya Pradesh SC and ST Officers Association called AJJAKS and spoke at an event
- Brahmin groups plan protests against Verma’s comments starting December 13 near chief minister’s house
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Santosh Verma, whose comment on Brahmin women led to outrage, has created another storm with his allegation that the high court stopped Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates from becoming civil judges.
Verma is also the president of the Madhya Pradesh Scheduled Castes and ST Officers and Employees Association, also known as AJJAKS).
A video from an AJJAKS event showed Verma making the latest controversial remarks.
"It is the high court, and no one else, that blocks ST children from becoming civil judges," he said.
He added this was the same high court from which they expect adherence to BR Ambedkar's Constitution.
Verma, who has been facing strong protests from Brahmin and upper caste groups for weeks, is now under renewed pressure. Several organisations have accused him of repeatedly violating constitutional norms and have accused the government of deliberately avoiding action.
The Brahmin Samaj United Front has announced a large-scale protest, declaring that they will protest outside the chief minister's house on December 14. The preparations for the protest will begin on December 13, and many Brahmin organisations will join. Their plan is to begin the protest at 7 pm, marked by the blowing of conch shells at the statue of Maharana Pratap. The march will then proceed from Vallabh Bhavan.
Community leaders alleged the government's inaction against the IAS officer who made such statements is discriminatory, and demanded strict and impartial action. Virendra Sharma, convenor of the Brahmin Samaj United Front, said, "We oppose this discriminatory action."
The Brahmin organisation has appealed to all organisations and community members for support. At the AJJAKS conference, Verma criticised the judicial recruitment process, alleging deliberate exclusion of SC and ST candidates.
"In recent exams, SC and ST candidates were not selected. They said they didn't find eligible candidates. A person from our community can become an IAS, IPS, deputy collector, DSP but cannot become a civil judge. What kind of eligibility criteria prevents this?" the IAS officer said.
He alleged candidates were being intentionally given marks like 49.95 instead of 50, and 19.5 instead of 20 in interviews to ensure they fail.
"Who is doing this? Our high court is doing this. It is the same high court from which we demand justice," Verma added.
He said the SC and ST community's "lineage" was being wiped out from the judiciary.
"Only when our son becomes a civil judge will he become a high court judge. When our lineage is being destroyed, from whom will you expect justice? This is our last generation. Only we can fight this," he said.
Verma was elected AJJAKS president at a Bhopal event in November. At that same event, he sparked outrage by saying that reservations should continue "until a Brahmin gives his daughter in marriage to our son."
Another video surfaced later in which he said, "How many Santosh Vermas will you kill or burn? Now a Santosh Verma will emerge from every house."
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Verma said he was being targeted not for his comments but because of a leadership dispute inside AJAKS.
"The target is not Santosh Verma. The target is the AJJAKS office. They want to seize control of the organisation. Personal attacks on me are a distraction," he said.
Cabinet minister Inder Singh Parmar told NDTV that society respects daughters and sisters, and no one will support such remarks.
"These statements violate the code of conduct, and the government will take action according to the rules," Parmar said.
