Centre seeks removal of Calcutta High Court's stay order on OBC quota

Kolkata, May 15 : The Centre on Thursday approached the Supreme Court for the removal of the Calcutta High Court's stay order pertaining to the implementation of the Other Backward Classes quota in post graduate courses in the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs).

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan allowed the plea of Solicitor General G E Vahanvati to include the matter for hearing on Friday.

The Calcutta High Court had on Wednesday stayed the implementation of OBCs quota in higher studies and stopped interview of OBC candidates for the same.

Justice of Calcutta High Court Maharaj Sinha had granted a stay order on a petition filed by a student Sayan Guha who was to appear for an interview for admission to IIM-Calcutta.

He challenged the stay order of the Calcutta High Court in his petition.

The interim order on the operation of the reservation clause of IIM prospectus and also the resolution of office memorandum dated April 20, 2008 passed by the HRD Ministry stayed till June 9.

The matter would come up for hearing again on June 9.

IIM-Calcutta had scheduled the special interview of OBC students following the HRD memorandum.

Guha's counsels Kishore Dutta and Nilava Bandopadhyay told the court that the office memo and the subsequent reservation clause were in violation of the April 10 Supreme Court order on reservation of OBCs.

On April 10, the apex court had upheld the Government's decision of 27 per cent quota for OBCs in higher educational institutions.

ANI