SC to take on OBC quota case today

The Supreme Court (SC) will today hear an application filed by the Centre on 27 per cent quota for the Other Backward Class (OBC) students in elite educational institutions of the country.

New Delhi, May 8 : The Supreme Court (SC) will today hear an application filed by the Centre on 27 per cent quota for the Other Backward Class (OBC) students in elite educational institutions of the country.

On May 7, the apex court has served a new notice to the Centre on the issue.

After hearing on a petition filed by IIM Alumni Association, a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendran issued a notice to the Centre.

The petitioners in their petition have sought review of the entire quota policy and the Mandal Commission Report, apart from challenging the Centre's recent notification providing 27 percent reservation to the OBCs in admission to Centrally-funded higher educational institutions.

Earlier last month, the court had dismissed the Centre's application seeking vacation of the stay to provide 27 per cent reservation to the OBC students.

Causing a major setback to the Centre, the court had stated that it found no reason to vacate the stay imposed by its March 29 interim order directing the government to put on hold the implementation of OBC quota in the academic session 2007-08.

The government wants to boost the number of college places for lower caste students to 49.5 percent from 22.5 percent, a move strongly opposed by mainly upper caste students.

ANI