Archive for the ‘Supreme Court’ Category

Supreme Court rules out OBC reservations this academic year

Sunday, August 12th, 2007

In a major embarrassment for the government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (8th August 2007)declined to lift its freeze on reservations for other backward classes (OBCs) in institutions of higher learning for the current year, signalling a victory for anti-quota advocates.A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said the government had not advanced any new reason for the court to revoke its March 29 order suspending the law.

A stunned Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh declared: “There is no question of any contradictory view to that of the Supreme Court. We will abide by it.”

Apart from Justice Balakrishnan [also the first Dalit Chief Justice of India], the bench also comprised of Justices Arijit Pasayat, R.V. Raveendran, C.K. Thakkar and Dalveer Bhandari.

It may be recalled that a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and LS Panta had on March 29, 2007 suspended the implementation of 27 percent OBC quotas, raising no less than twenty five constitutional queries regarding the move.

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 United Students would like to remind readers that we’ve consistently endorsed an alternative system of affirmative action, called MIRAA [multiple index related affirmative action] which is free of the defects of flat caste based quotas. Read more here.

Supreme Court to hear OBC issue from August 7

Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday decided to hear from August 7 the issue of Constitutuional validity of the law providing 27 percent quota for the OBCs in elite educational institutuions.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said that the matter will be heard by a five-judge constitutuion Bench.

The Court will hear on July 31, the Centre’s application seeking vacation of the March 29 interim order staying the implementation of the provision of the controverstial legislation providing reservation for the OBCs.

A Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and L S Panta on March 29 had stayed the implementation of section six of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act 2006 providing quota for the OBCs in Central educational Institutions.

The same Bench had on earlier two occassion refused the Centre’s plea for its vacation.