SC rejected Union Government’s review plea seeking OBC status for Jats

The Supreme Court of India on 21 July 2015 quashed pleas of Union Government and Jat organizations asking the court to reconsider its verdict that had scrapped the March 2014 notification to include Jats in the central list of the Other Background Classes (OBC) category in nine states.

The two petitioners were seeking to declare the Jat community as socially and economically backward class to grant them OBC reservation.

A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justice Rohinton F Nariman dismissed the plea and declared Union Government decision to grant OBC status to JAT community as unconstitutional.

Earlier in March 2015, Supreme Court had struck down the Union Government’s decision to grant Jat community reservation in jobs and educational institution, terming it as a reflection of negative and retrograde governance.

Background
UPA government's decision to grant OBC status to the Jat community on the eve of the 2014 General Elections had drawn strong reactions from other backward class communities which viewed the move as vote bank politics.

The NDA government had defended the UPA's decision in the Supreme Court.

National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had in its report advised the government against grant of OBC status to Jats. It said the community is not socially and educationally backward to be entitled to a share in 27 percent OBC quota in jobs and admission to educational institutions. The NCBC had also said that the community is adequately represented in armed forces, government services and educational institutions.

Now get latest Current Affairs on mobile, Download # 1  Current Affairs App