Gujarat government to reply to PILs challenging EWS quota

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday asked the state government to file an affidavit in response to four petitions challenging the 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutes for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) from the general category.

A division bench of Chief Justice R. Subhash Reddy and Justice V.M. Pancholi directed Advocate-General Kamal Trivedi to file a single affidavit in reply to the four petitions by next Wednesday.

The BJP government had on May 1 issued an ordinance providing 10 per cent quota for EWS in the general category with annual family income cap of Rs 6 lakh, in the wake of the violent agitation by the Patel community seeking quota under Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

The petitioners have separately challenged the new quota, saying it violates the Supreme Court's judgment in the'Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case capping the total reservation at 50 per cent.

Petitions have been filed by Jayantbhai Manani, Dulari Basarge, a student, I.H. Syed and a group of parents of general category students who aspire to get admission in the medical colleges.

--IANS

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