New Delhi: The future of thousands of students has finally been decided at least for this year.
In what has been a big blow to the Government's pro-reservation stance, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to vacate the stay on 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in elite educational institutions like IIMs and IITs.
There was predictably, an immediate reaction from Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Tuesday asked the Centre to "take action before people erupt like volcano".
He addressed the Centre in his speech in the state Assembly saying, "Democracy would be badly affected if the faith of 100 core people is determined by the two or three men."
The Congress had been under strong pressure from its allies after the Supreme Court had stayed the controversial OOBC quota on March 29.
That time, DMK and its allies had decided to call for a bandh across Tamil Nadu. The party had also requested the Centre to hold a joint Parliamentary meeting to discuss the issue.
"The Goverment is planning to approach the Chief Justice over the quota issue on Tuesday. We will ask for the constitution of a larger bench to decide on the issue. Meanwhile, the Government directives to IIMs to hold the admissions still stand" |
Then too, Karunanidhi had said: "The bandh is to make everyone realise that the Supreme Court's order attacks the very roots of the downtrodden in our society."
Tamil Nadu has the highest percentage of reservation in institutes of higher education in the country - 69 per cent - and the state's politics revolves around the OBC vote bank.
Even the merit argument is countered by supporters of reservation who say that several decades after quota was enforced, Tamil Nadu still produces world class professionals.
"Nowhere in the world do castes, classes or communities queue up for the sake of gaining status" |
On April 5, 2007, in what seemed like almost defiance of the Supreme Court verdict, the Tamil Nadu government announced exclusive reservations for Christians and Muslims in government services and educational institutions.
The decision was taken on the recommendations of the state Backward Classes Commission, headed by Justice M Janardanam, a retired judge of the Madras High court, said Karunanidhi.
EXISTING RESERVATION QUOTA IN TN | |
 | Overall reservation is 69 per cent |
| 30 per cent for Backward Classes |
| 20 per cent for Most Backward Classes and Denotified Tribes |
| 18 per cent for Scheduled Castes |
| 1 per cent for Scheduled Tribes |
Tamil Nadu is of the opinion that the Apex Court verdict affects the rights of Parliament and is a setback to the socially and educationally oppressed sections of society.
Pro-reservationists in the state won their battle decades ago and while the Apex Court's order gives some hope to those against reservations, it now seems that they are all set to face strong protests from the southern state.
QUOTA UNQUOTE | |
| On Monday, the Supreme Court heard extensively, the Central Government's application for vacating the stay on OBC quota which had been granted by SC on March 29. The submission of both sides lasted for 75 minutes after which the SC rejected the Central Government's application. The SC was of the view that if the Central Government had waited for 56 years - from 1950 to 2006 - then they can wait for one more year. |
| The Central Government was asked why it was not excluding the creamy layer from the OBC quota. The judges had said that the creamy layer does not deserve any reservation. |
| The third thing that the SC asked the Central Government was that why should there be reservation in institutes of super speciality. |
| And finally, when the Centre said that this 27 per cent was additional seats which had been created so that no inconvinience shuld be caused to the General Category, then the SC said that these 27 per cent extra seats were created by the revenue generated by all the citizens of the country. Under Article 29, all the citizens have a right to this investment. |
| Ultimately the Supreme Court said that it was going to decide against the Central Government. A date has been fixed in August for the final hearing. |
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