On Wednesday, the Madras High Court dismissed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party’s contempt of court petition against the Central government over the issue of implementing reservation for Other Backward Classes in All India Quota (AIQ) medical college seats.
According to a bench led by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice PD Audikesa, the Centre has not committed any willful or purposeful violations in carrying out the High Court’s 2020 judgement on the issue.
The Court, on the other hand, voiced questions about the constitutionality of expanding a 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in AIQ seats, and ordered that it be prohibited unless the Supreme Court approves it.
The Central government’s contempt proceedings was dismissed on Wednesday by the Supreme Court, declaring that the 27 percent OBC quota provided by the Centre in a July 29 notification was valid.
The Court also stated that citizens should be empowered so that “merit may finally decide matters of admission, appointment, and promotion” rather than the reservation system. It further added that,
The Constituent Assembly intended for the quota system to be in place just during the early years of Independent India, but it has since been extended indefinitely through multiple amendments, sustaining the caste system in the process.
