Haryana leaders stumped by SC ruling on Jat quota

Leaders in Haryana treaded cautiously after the Supreme Court quashed the reservation for Jats on Tuesday.

Leaders of various parties said they would first examine the apex court judgment before making any observation.

"Our government (in Haryana) will examine the Supreme Court decision. Only then we will be able to say something," said Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu, who presented his maiden budget in the assembly on Tuesday.

He said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believed in allowing reservation for those who were socially and economically lagging.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the March 4, 2014 notification by the then UPA government extending OBC reservation to Jats in nine states.

An apex court bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman said: "We can't agree that politically organised Jats are backward class so as to be entitled to OBC reservation."

Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala said he would comment only after studying the Supreme Court order.