The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the 27% reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the local body election of Maharashtra until further orders.
A Bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and C.T. Ravikumar observed that 27% OBC quota could not have been implemented without setting up a commission and without collecting data regarding the inadequacy of representation; local government wise. It further said, “Without setting up Commission to collect data local government wise, it is not open to the State Election Commission to provide for reservation for the OBC category. That is the first step which ought to have been done.”
It said that the State Election Commission cannot be permitted to proceed with the election program already notified with regard to the OBC reservation category, but the rest of the election program can proceed for other reserved seats including the general category. “Your political compulsion cannot be a ground to undermine our verdict,” the Bench observed. The Bench was hearing petitions challenging the Maharashtra Ordinance which introduced a 27% OBC quota in the state’s local body elections and the consequent notifications issued by the State Election Commission to give effect to the same.