OBC quota; Citizens for Equality files writ in SC

New Delhi, May 2: 'Citizens for Equality' has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a declaration that the reservation policy being implemented by the Centre, States and Union Territories, providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in admission to centrally run educational institutions of higher studies, is unconstitutional.

A bench comprising Justices B N Agarwal, P P Naolekar and R V Raveendaran today directed that the petition be listed for hearing along with other petitions on May 8.

The court issued the order when the petition was mentioned before it for early hearing.

According to the petitioner organisation, the caste-based reservation was damaging the basic structure of the Constitution of India as it violates the fundamental right to equality of other members of society.

It also contended that the vested interest developed by politicians in perpetuating the case system for vote bank politics needed to be curbed as this amounts to constitution perversion.

The Supreme Court has already stayed for one year the implementation of the government notification providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs from the academic session 2007-2008 in admission to educational institutions like IIMs, IITs and postgraduate medical science courses.

The petitioner has also prayed for direction to the Centre and States to make policy of affirmative action by giving top most priority to the lowest layers of SCs/STs/OBCs by excluding creamy layer from the benefits of reservation policy.

UNI