Quota Conundrum: SC Upholds Patna HC Ruling On Quashing Bihar's 65% Reservation Order

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the Patna High Court's decision, which had annulled the 65 percent quota for backward classes in Bihar.

The Bihar government had petitioned the Supreme Court against the High Court's ruling that nullified the state's move to increase reservations from 50% to 65%.

The Supreme Court announced that the matter would be examined in detail in September.

On June 20, a division bench of the Patna High Court had invalidated the amendments passed by the Bihar Assembly in 2023, declaring them unconstitutional and in violation of the equality clause under Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution.

Following this, the Bihar government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court's ruling on July 2.

The Bihar Assembly had passed the Reservation Amendment Bill in November 2023, notably without the presence of Nitish Kumar.

The revised reservation quota included 20 percent for Scheduled Castes, 2 percent for Scheduled Tribes, and 43 percent for Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes.

When combined with the 10 percent quota for the Economically Weaker Section, the total reservation was raised to 75 percent, exceeding the 50 percent limit set by the Supreme Court.