MP Govt Transfers 52 Petitions On 27% OBC Quota From HC to SC

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Facing legal hurdles over its implementation with petitions stacked against the 27% reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), the state government on Monday transferred 52 petitions related to the quota from the Jabalpur High Court to the Supreme Court.

Senior advocate Rameshwar Thakur, who appeared on behalf of OBC students, said, “In fact, the state government wants all the petitions related to OBC reservations to be heard in the SC, so today, it transferred 52 petitions. The SC has admitted all these petitions. Besides, the SC also asked the government to file a writ if it wants relief in the OBC reservations issue.”

Previously, the apex court had clarified that there is no judicial restriction on implementing the enhanced OBC quota while dismissing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the organisation, Youth for Equality, which challenged the hike in reservation from 14% to 27% in the state.

The SLP was filed against a February 26 ruling by a division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur, comprising Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain, that there was no bar on the implementation of 27% OBC reservation. 

In March 2019, the Kamal Nath-led Congress government increased the OBC quota to 27%. Before that, MP had 14% OBC, 20% ST, and 16% SC reservations, totalling 50%.

Interacting with OBC Quota petitioners: CM

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has made his stand clear for the first time amid the dilemma over 27% reservation for OBC category. Yadav said on Monday that he had stuck to his stand on giving 27% reservation to the OBC category.  

Yadav said the Solicitor General had also told him the same thing. The report, received during the previous government, is under examination, he said.

He is interacting with the petitioners of the OBC quota, and the purpose is to provide the best fruit of development to the poor, Yadav said. The court has said that there is no bar on the recruitments, but because of many petitions, the government is in a dilemma over taking a decision on the issue, the Chief Minister said.

A day before Yadav issued the statement, MPCC president Jitu Patwari took the government to task over reservation for the OBC. The government was sometimes implementing a 14% reservation or 27% quota policy according to its sweet will, Patwari said.

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