By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian government Thursday admitted to a technical hitch in implementing a new quota for backward classes in educational institutions as the list of beneficiaries had not been notified.
The admission came in the Supreme Court, which asked the government how it would implement a new law on reserving 27 percent of seats in educational institutions for other backward classes (OBCs) without notifying who would benefit.
“We have identified and have determined the list of socially and educationally backward classes,” Solicitor General G.E. Vahanvati said, adding that “technically the court was right” in saying that the law could not be implemented without the list of beneficiaries being notified.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan is examining the legality of the new law.
According to Vahanvati, the notification has been delayed due to the court hearing.
The Central Educational Institution (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 that provides for 27 percent reservation in higher educational institutions stipulates that the government would bring out a separate OBC list, other then the one that exists, for quotas for OBC in state jobs.
The court addressed its query to Vahanvati after senior counsel K. K. Venugopal, during his argument against the quota law, contended that the act could not be implemented as the backward castes had been identified on the basis of the 1931 census.
He contended that as per the provisions of the new law, the government was yet to bring out a new OBC list.