The applicants opposing the 27 per cent reservation for OBC communities on Thursday alleged that by introducing the quota system, the government was dividing the society on caste lines which was gradually eroding in the country.

Arguing for more than four hours before a constitutional bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices Arijit Pasayat, C K Thakkar, R V Raveendran, and Dalveer Bhandari, Senior Counsel Harish Salve said, “Instead of erasing the memory of the caste system, the government was creating a sub-caste of other backward castes(OBC).”

Moreover, there was no mechanism to review periodically the quota system and the people who had been benefiting out of the reservation would continue to receive the benefits for generations, he said.

When the bench asked whether it could be introduced provided the review committee was set up, Mr Salve said by providing reservation to people from some castes, the government would violate the right to equality of Indian citizens.

The arguments remained inconclusive and would continue on Monday.

The apex court has been hearing the issues in the main petition on the constitutional validity of the 93rd Amendment, the provision of Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act 2006 providing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and Union government’s power on implementing such policy.