Latest news with #OtherBackwardsClasses
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Supreme Court Seeks Madhya Pradesh Reply On 27% OBC Quota Implementation
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Madhya Pradesh government to file reply by July 4 on a petition seeking implementation of 27 per cent Other Backwards Classes (OBC) quota in the state. The petition moved by members of the OBC community in the state seeks implementation of a law passed by the Madhya Pradesh Assembly in 2019, which increased the OBC quota from 14% to 27%. The plea states the state government has been denying benefit of increased quota for the OBCs based on the stay given to an MBBS student for a postgraduate medical entrance test by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The implementation of 27% reservations in public employment and educational institutions for OBCs is a key issue of contention in the state, which has nearly 50% of its population belonging to the OBC category. Earlier, the Congress had accused the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government of deliberately not implementing the law (which increased OBC quota from 14 to 27%) passed by the Congress government in 2019. However, the BJP govt has cited "legal hurdle" to implementation as the increased quota breaches the total 50% reservations limit in the state. An ordinance was brought by the erstwhile Congress government on March 8, 2019, seeking to increase the OBC quota in jobs and admissions in educational institutions to 27 per cent from 14 per cent. However, the same was challenged by the MBBS student. The Madhya Pradesh High Court stayed the implementation of the ordinance for the entrance test of the postgraduate medical exam. However, in July 2019, the state assembly passed legislation to replace the ordinance, which increased the reservations to 27 per cent. The petition, moved by members of the OBC community in the state, claims that despite Madhya Pradesh having a 50% OBC population, the reservation quota remains only 14%. The plea further says that the Madhya Pradesh government arbitrarily failed to implement the Act to extend the benefit of the said amendment in nearly all recruitment processes. Before 2019, Madhya Pradesh had 14 per cent reservation for the OBC, 20 per cent for ST, and 16 per cent for SC, totalling 50 per cent. The enhanced OBC quota has raised total reservation to 63 per cent, breaching the 50 per cent quota ceiling. On March 19, 2019, the High Court stayed the increased 13 per cent more OBC reservation, which led to the suspension of many recruitment processes. Later, a formula which included 87 per cent existing reservations plus 13 per cent reserved was introduced to continue exams while holding the disputed 13 per cent seats separately until a final verdict. In 2024, all pending petitions regarding OBC reservation hike (around 70 in total) were transferred from the High Court to the Supreme Court. Till the final decision is made, recruitments are continuing based on the 87:13 formula.
United News of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
SC to frame guidelines on OBC certificates for children of single mothers
New Delhi, June 23 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its intent to lay down guidelines for issuing OBC (Other Backwards Classes) certificates to children of single mothers, allowing the use of the mother's caste certificate without requiring documents from the paternal side. A bench comprising Justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh heard the matter and scheduled it for final hearing on July 22. 'The present petition raises an important issue about the issuance of OBC certificate to children of a single mother where the mother belongs to the OBC category,' the bench noted in its order. The petitioner contends that existing guidelines unjustly require an OBC certificate from a paternal blood relative, father, grandfather, or uncle thereby excluding single mothers such as widows, divorcees, or adoptive mothers from securing rightful benefits for their children. Justice Viswanathan remarked during the hearing, 'Say there's a divorced mother, why should she be going after the father?', indicating the need to address systemic barriers faced by single mothers. The Supreme Court had earlier issued notice on the petition in February 2025, seeking responses from the Delhi government, Union of India, and Union Territories. On Monday, Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain cited the Rameshbhai Dabhai Naika v. State of Gujarat (2012) judgment, where the Court ruled that caste identity in inter-caste marriages should be assessed based on upbringing and social environment rather than mere paternal lineage. Justice Viswanathan emphasised that similar principles must be extended to OBC cases. 'They have resolved it for SC/ST if the child is brought up in the mother's surroundings, benefits cannot be denied. That logic should apply here, too,' he said, while also affirming that the concept of creamy layer based on income would continue to apply. The petitioner, a retired MCD teacher, argued that the current rules violate Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution by discriminating against single mothers from OBC communities. In contrast, she pointed out that children of single mothers from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes already benefit from more inclusive criteria. The Court allowed states that wish to submit their stance to do so before the next hearing. Justice Viswanathan reiterated that the final guidelines would address complexities arising out of inter-caste marriages and social realities faced by single mothers.
Hans India
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Calcutta HC to pass interim order today on plea challenging Mamata govt's fresh OBC survey pattern
A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday, will pass an interim order on the petition filed against the pattern of the fresh survey conducted by the West Bengal government to identify the Other Backwards Classes (OBCs) in the state. The fresh survey was started by the state government following its promise made to the Supreme Court on March 18, while hearing a matter where the state government challenged an earlier order of the Calcutta High Court in May 2024, scrapping all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal since 2010. On March 18, the state government also promised the apex court to complete the process of the fresh survey within the next three months. However, a petition was filed at the Calcutta High Court challenging the pattern of the fresh survey. The petitioner accused the state government of entertaining applications only from those 113 OBC communities that were scrapped by the Calcutta High Court. Last month, when the hearing on the petition came up at the Calcutta High Court, the division bench also raised some questions on the style of conducting the fresh survey by the state government. The division bench also observed that if individuals genuinely eligible for getting the OBC certificates are not aware of the details of the fresh survey, they will be denied their legitimate rights, and hence, the main purpose of the fresh survey would be defeated. It also directed the state government to make proper publicity of the fresh survey by issuing advertisements at the grassroots level, starting from village panchayats. The state government counsels, throughout the course of the hearing, had maintained that the fresh survey was conducted as per the court's directions. To recall, in May last year, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelled all the OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, which ideally meant that all such certificates issued during the current Trinamool Congress regime in the state since 2011 stood cancelled. Following this order from the division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, over 5,00,000 OBC certificates issued during that period stood cancelled and could not be used for enjoying the reservation quota for jobs. The West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court on the Calcutta High Court order, and in March this year, the apex court allowed the state government to conduct a fresh survey to identify the OBCs in the state.
