Rajasthan High Court today quashed a 1999 order granting OBC quota to Jats in Dholpur and Bharatpur districts of the state with prospective effect and directed that the OBC commission review status of all communities in the category within four months.
A bench of Chief Justice Sunil Ambwani and Justice Ajit Kumar Singh gave the order while hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the granting of reservation to Jats and other communities under OBC category through a notification dated November 3, 1999 by the state government.
The order was issued by Rajasthan pursuant to a central government notification including Jat and other classes in the category in October 1999.
In the petitions, Satynarayn Singh and others argued that there was no quantification of data prior to giving reservation benefits in 1999. Also education census of 1931 was made basis for the recommendation by the National Commmission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to extend benefit of reservations to Jat and other OBC communities.
It was pointed out in the petition that the NCBC has stated that state OBC commission never forwarded its recommendation in year 1999 and only based on a two-day open public hearing in year 1997, a recommendation was sent for granting reservation to Jat community and others.
The Supreme Court had recently quashed the central government notification on quota to Jat community from some states including those in Bharatpur and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan.
Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi had appeared on behalf of state government and had asked the High Court to send the matter for review to OBC commission of state.
After assurance given to High Court during the hearing, the OBC Commission was recently reconstituted.
“The bench has not passed any order on the petition challenging inclusion of Sindhi community in OBC,” said counsel Ved Pal.
