SC agrees to hear Rajasthan Govt.'s plea on Gujjar reservation

In a big relief to the Rajasthan Government, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a petition of the state government against the high court judgment which quashed the reservation of five percent offered to the Special Backward Class (SBC), including the Gujjar community.

The appeal was filed by Shiv Mangal Sharma, Additional Advocate General (AAG) of the BJP-led state government.

The apex court also accepted the plea of the government, thereby protecting around 4,000 people who have already been appointed in various government departments and 1,000 people who have been admitted in various institutions under the Specific Backward Classes (Reservation of seats in Educational Institutions in the state and of Appointment and Posts under the state) Act, 2015 by the Vasundhara Raje-led government.

Gujjar leaders have been holding talks with the ministerial committee constituted by the government in the aftermath of the Rajasthan High Court striking down their SBC quota of five percent on the ground of violating constitutional cap of 50 percent set by the Supreme Court.

In the backdrop of this development, the Gujjars are now demanding a separate quota within the Other Backward Caste (OBC) so that the reservation does not exceed the 50 percent limit.