Govt defends inclusion of more castes in OBC list
Centre defends before the Supreme Court, the inclusion of more castes over the years in the list of backward classes.
By PTI |
The Centre on Wednesday defended before the Supreme Court the inclusion of more castes over the years in the list of backward classes, saying it was done by following proper guidelines and political factors like vote bank politics have no bearing on it.
Refuting the contentions of the anti-quota petitioners that political considerations contributed to the inclusion of several castes in the list, it said National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has rejected several politically dominant castes including Khandayat from Orissa and Marathas from Maharashtra.
“...the Commission has rejected the inclusion of Marathas in the Central List inspite of the fact that the members of the said community had threatened agitation,” solicitor general G E Vahanvati said before a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan.
“To say that whole exercise was done for political purpose and vote-bank politics is wrong,” he said before the Bench which is examining the Constitutional validity of the law providing 27% quota to OBCs in Central educational institutions. He asserted that the Commission had applied its mind for inclusion of the castes who were left out in the list and till date 531 cases have been rejected for inclusion. The solicitor general was responding to the question of the Bench that in most cases when application was made for inclusion of castes in the list, there was no oppostion.
“In all such cases there has been proper application of mind,” he said and apprised the Bench that the first major addition in the list had taken place in 1994.
Refuting the contentions of the anti-quota petitioners that political considerations contributed to the inclusion of several castes in the list, it said National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has rejected several politically dominant castes including Khandayat from Orissa and Marathas from Maharashtra.
“...the Commission has rejected the inclusion of Marathas in the Central List inspite of the fact that the members of the said community had threatened agitation,” solicitor general G E Vahanvati said before a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan.
“To say that whole exercise was done for political purpose and vote-bank politics is wrong,” he said before the Bench which is examining the Constitutional validity of the law providing 27% quota to OBCs in Central educational institutions. He asserted that the Commission had applied its mind for inclusion of the castes who were left out in the list and till date 531 cases have been rejected for inclusion. The solicitor general was responding to the question of the Bench that in most cases when application was made for inclusion of castes in the list, there was no oppostion.
“In all such cases there has been proper application of mind,” he said and apprised the Bench that the first major addition in the list had taken place in 1994.
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