SC judgement on OBC quota hailed

New Delhi, Apr 10 (UNI) Hailing the Supreme Court decision upholding 27 per cent OBC quota in elite educational institutions, several organisations today said the weaker sections of society will now have access to higher education.

The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for implementation of 27 per cent quota for OBCs in Centrally run institutions of higher education and upheld the constitutional validity of the 93rd Constitutional Amendment.

The Commission for OBC, Democratic Teachers' Front, the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum, All India United Muslim Morcha, the Delhi National Panthers' Party and the Indian Justice Party all welcomed the decision.

OBC Chairman Chatter Singh said the judgement was long awaited and it is a step towards the welfare of the backward classes.

''The step will boost employment opportunity for OBC community and also help them to uplift,'' he added.

The DTF also hailed the decision to keep the creamy layer within the OBC out of the ambit of reservation.

It demanded that the Government put in place necessary infrastructure and provide for more teachers and non-teaching staff in proportion to the ensuing expansion in intake.

A five judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan upheld the validity of the act by a majority of 4:1 with Justice Dalveer Bhandari dissenting.

The apex court also ruled that if the basis of reservation is caste, the creamy layer among these castes must be excluded from the benefits of reservation policy. Other judges on the bench are Justices Arijit Pasayat, C K Thakkar and R V Raveendran.

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