SC to hear on OBC quota issue from Aug 7

PTI | New Delhi

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will commence hearing from August 7 to examine the Constitutional validity of the controversial law providing 27 per cent quota for OBCs in elite educational institutions.

The court said, as scheduled it will hear on July 31, the Centre's application seeking vacation of the March 29 interim order staying the implementation of the provision of the legislation enabling OBC reservation.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan did not accept the plea to defer the July 31 hearing as lawyers appearing for the petitioners supporting the Centre's plea for abrogation of the stay said the question of academic year was involved.

While putting a halt on the implementation of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act 2006, a two-judge Bench had referred the matter to the Chief Justice for allocating it before a larger Bench.

During the brief hearing, the Bench, also comprising Justices RV Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari said besides the main petitions on the issue, others would be tagged and heard together by the Constitution Bench.

The court was informed that before the matter was referred to the Chief Justice, 30 questions were framed for consideration by a larger Bench.