SC to examine decision to include Jats in OBC list

The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to examine the Centre’s decision to include “Jats” in the OBC category following contentions that the UPA government ignored the statutory panel’s recommendations in an attempt to win votes from the community for the upcoming general elections.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam directed the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry to furnish before the court all material relating to the government’s March 4 notification.

The court admitted two PILs; one filed by OBC Reservation Raksha Samiti, an organisation of members of communities included in the central list of backward classes, and another by a group of individuals.

“It is a serious matter. We would like to peruse the files containing the notification to know if there was application of mind,” the bench, also comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and N V Ramana, said. The court posted the matter for further hearing on April 9.

Arguing for OBC Reservation Raksha Samiti, senior Advocate K K Venugopal alleged that it was an “outrageous notification” issued in haste with “vote bank” politics in mind.

“Before the election, a largesse is given by political party in power to purchase votes,” he added. He claimed that the Union government ignored the binding advice of statutory body National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) against the inclusion of Jats in the OBC list. The counsel said that Jats would be like a “creamy layer” in the OBC list and would eat away major chunks of the seats and posts in colleges and government jobs from other communities.