SC stays SC/ST quota in promotion for government jobs

New Delhi, Apr 16: The Supreme Court has stayed the reservation in promotion for SC/STs in government jobs. The stay was implemented after the Centre and states failed to implement the scheme for want of quantifiable data on the adequacy of their representation.

The court ordered that status quo be maintained the issue is decided by it. It may be recalled that a five judge Bench had in September last year said that reservation in promotion could be implemented. However it said that the creamy layer exclusion principle which is applied only to the other backward classes could be extended to SCs and STs to deny quota benefits to the elite among the two socially underprivileged communities.

The court had also exempted states from collecting quantifiable data on backwardness to justify reservation in promotions by modifying its earlier order in the Nagarj case. It however held that its 2016 verdict was correct in stipulating the condition on the need for quantifiable day on adequacy of representation.