Anti-quota groups cheer order

New Delhi: The Supreme Court’s decision calling for the stay of 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in elite educational institutions, including IIMs and IITs on Thursday was received was welcomed with open arms by the anti-quota student community.

“It is an amazing judgement and rationality has prevailed. The more you recongnise caste, the more is the discrimination,” says member of the United Students Forum, Dhruv Suri.

Suri, who along with other students and organisations had challenged the Centre's plan to implement the quota, added, “The more you recognise caste, there’s more discrimination.”

The ruling of the SC was pronounced on a bunch of petitions challenging the Government notification to implement the controversial Central Educational Institution (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.

Aditya Raj Kaul of the United Students Front welcomed the verdict “wholeheartedly”.

“We had lost hope in the system, but now the judiciary’s positive judgement has restored our faith,” Kaul said.

He pointed out that in April 2006, when reservation was announced, students were polarised, but says Thursday’s judgement would bring the student community together.

"This is obviously vote-bank politics. I still don’t understand why the government decided to take up the issue like this,” Kaul said.

But pro-quota activist, Udit Raj took the SC stay with a pinch of salt.

"SC does not have any right to meddle with this issue. The judgement is flawed because, the NSS data puts SC/ST figures at 32 per cent and the 1931 census figures puts the figures at 40 per cent the reservations we are asking for is only for 27 per cent. Therefore, the reservations must be put into place," he says.

The Bench of Justices Arijit and Pasayat and L S Panta, who delivered the ruling, stated that Section 6 of the Constitution was not applicable since no data on OBCs has been collected in the last 76 years.

The Bench, reprimanding the Centre, also said that the Centre should stay away from dividing the society on caste basis and should behave in a more responsible way.

Other Reactions

“Today’s judgement is the result of all those people who have been fighting. I congratulate all of them.” - Vice President, Resident Doctor Association Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), Manish Nithani.

”We have been expecting this stay order. I am glad the court has taken it as the decision could have affected the country’s social equality. The quota decision was a Central Government decision.” - Dr Rabindranath of the Doctors' Association For Social Equality.

"It is a victory of the people and a victory for the common man against politicians, who had tried to divide the society on the basis of caste.” - President of AIIMS Residents Doctors Association, Kumar Harsh.