Govt exploring options to convince SC on quota

New Delhi, Apr 24: Even as the government is exploring variousoptions available to it on the OBC quota issue, Chief Justice K GBalakrishnan today declined to comment on the increasing frictionbetween the judiciary and executive over their ''contradictory stand''on reservation in higher educational institutions.

''No comments'', was the refrain adopted by Justice Balakrishnanwhen UNI asked him about his reaction over the verbal diatribe beinglaunched by many political parties against the judiciary recently.

Political parties, especially those favouring OBC quota in highereducational institutions, have expressed disappointment over theSupreme Court ruling yesterday declining to vacate stay on providing 27per cent reservation to OBCs in higher educational institutions andsaid they would explore the ways to convince the court to agree to it.

RJD leader and Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singhsaid the Supreme Court has just given its legal viewpoint over the OBCquota in higher educational institutions and it was not the finalverdict. He said the government would consult all parties on the issueof reservation for OBCs and also take the views of the legal expertsbefore finalising its strategy on how to tackle the issue. He admittedthe issue of creamy layer may also come up during the discussion.

''The efforts are on. We are considering the various options.

This is not an ordinary struggle. We have fought it for long andwas victorious in 1992 when the nine-judge bench gave verdict in favourof the Mandal Commission recommendations. We are consistent in ourfight,'' Dr Singh said.

The Rural Development minister denied that the Supreme Court verdictwas a faceloss for the government. The government had approached thecourt under the law but could not convince it. They would again try tomake the court see their view point, he said. Dr Singh, however, deniedthat the executive has overstepped its limit and said that whatever hasbeen done has been done according to the Constitution. He said thegovernment went for reservation only after Parliament passed the lawunanimously and that it waited 57 years to introduce the quota and wasready to wait for some more time.

According to the Minister, doing OBC census again, with the courtsaying the data based on 1931 census was outdated, was not feasible asit would cause more frictions and divisions in the society. He was infavour of the benefits of reservation reaching to the lowest rung ofthe society.

The Supreme Court had yesterday rejected the Centre's applicationto vacate the stay on 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in Centrally-runeducational institutions of higher studies. A division bench comprisingJustices Arijit Pasayat and Lokeshwar Singh Panta had said that itfound no reason to vacate the stay imposed by its interim order onMarch 29 directing the government to keep on hold the implementation of27 per cent quota from the academic session 2007-08.

UNI

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