Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In a meeting with the Advocate General (AG) Prashant Singh in Delhi on Thursday over the 27% OBC reservation, advocates requested that the hold on 13% posts be lifted.
It was the first meeting of advocates with the AG after the Chief Minister’s all-party meet on August 29 in Bhopal, where he had said that the lawyers representing various sides would sit together to discuss it and make a common stand by September 10, in view of the Supreme Court’s decision to hold daily hearings from September 22.
MPPSC candidates who have been deprived of recruitment due to the hold on 13% posts also attended Thursday’s meeting. These candidates are also petitioners in the Supreme Court.
Candidates and the OBC Mahasabha are demanding the release of hold on 13% posts, arguing that the government itself had stalled recruitment by misinterpreting or wrongly implementing the court's orders.
Controversy surrounds the 27% quota for the OBCs in Madhya Pradesh due to a legal challenge that led to the 87:13 formula for government jobs, where 87% of posts are filled and 13% are held back, pending a Supreme Court decision.
Senior Advocate Rameshwar Thakur said, “If the state government lifts the hold on 13% posts, there will not be any legal complication. We have spoken to the AG (about it). In case there is any legal complication, we will contest the case in favour of the government free of cost.”
Supreme Court advocate Varun Thakur said, “After two days, a meeting will be held at the MP House in Delhi to redress all issues of postings and recruitment which do not have any legality in any court.”
