SC: General candidates can fill vacant OBC candidates seats

New Delhi, Sep 29 (UNI) The Supreme Court today once again made it clear that the seats in centrally-run educational institutions of higher studies for which the OBC candidates were not available for admission should be given to general category candidates.

A constitutional bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Arijit Pasayat, C K Thakker, R V Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari disapproved the policy of Union government to keep OBC seats vacant for three years.

The Union government, in its counter affidavit, said quota policy of providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in educational institutions like IIMs, IITs and post graduate medical science courses should be implemented in phased manner by giving nine per cent reservation for three years. In addition, the seats that remained vacant will be kept so for the same period and should go to the general category candidates in case OBC candidates were not available.

The apex court adjourned the hearing of the case till October 14 and observed that keeping the OBC seats vacant will not be in national interest and amount to wastage of national resources.

UNI SC NY RP HT1854