SC refuses to stay implementation of 10% quota for poor in general category

Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay implementation of 10 per cent reservation to the economically weaker section of general category.

It, however, issued a notice to the Centre on pleas challenging the constitutional amendment that gives 10 per cent reservation in jobs and education for economically weaker section of the general category.

A bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi said, "We will examine the issue".

Supreme Court will be hearing the matter in four weeks.

On January 15, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has already announced that 10 per cent reservation for the poor falling under the ambit of general category will be implemented in all educational institutions from the academic year 2019 itself.

President Ram Nath Kovind on January 12 had signed into law the 124th Constitution Amendment Bill.

With this, the total percentage of the reservation will go up to 60, surpassing the 50 per cent ceiling prescribed by the Supreme Court.

Parliament had passed the Bill on January 9.

The bill was approved by the Rajya Sabha, with 165 votes in favour and seven against on Wednesday while the Lok Sabha had passed it a day earlier with 323 votes in favour and three against.

The reservation is meant for individuals belonging to economically-weaker sections whose annual earning is below Rs. 8 lakh and who possess less than 5 acres of agriculture land.