Date:13/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/13/stories/2008051353911000.htm

National

Court notice to Centre on OBC quota

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre seeking its response to a petition challenging the implementation of 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Central higher educational institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Management.

A Division Bench, comprising Justices T.S. Thakur and Siddharth Mridul sought a response from the Centre within four weeks and posted the matter for July 10.

In their petition, the Pan-IIM Alumni Association argued that the Union government had misinterpreted the Supreme Court order on OBC reservation. It has been argued that while the Supreme Court upheld reservation policy for the OBCs, it had said it would not be applicable to higher institutions.

Therefore, the petitioners sought a stay on a government memorandum issued on April 20 in which the government expressed its intention to implement OBC reservation in higher educational institutions.

During an earlier hearing on the matter, counsel for the Centre argued that the plea of the petitioners was not maintainable. He contended that the petitioner’s argument that reservation cannot be provided to candidates after graduation was wrong.