Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh High Court has delivered a major verdict on Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation, rejecting all petitions seeking an increase in the reservation quota from 14% to 27%. The court has decided to retain the existing 14% reservation for OBC candidates in the state.
A division bench of Justices Anand Pathak and Vinay Saraf delivered the verdict in a 159-page order. The High Court observed that there were no extraordinary or exceptional circumstances in the case that justified exceeding the 50% reservation ceiling.
During the hearing, the court examined documents, tables and statistical data presented in connection with the OBC reservation case.
Appointments To 13% Withheld Posts Within Three Months
In another significant direction, the High Court ordered that the 13% of government posts kept on hold due to the reservation dispute be filled with candidates from the unreserved category. The court directed the Madhya Pradesh government to complete the recruitment process within three months.
The High Court also ordered protection for appointments made under the 27% OBC reservation quota between Sept 2, 2019, and Sept 29, 2022.
Advocate General Says Court Order Under Review
Following the verdict, Madhya Pradesh Advocate General Prashant Singh said the court had examined documents, tables and statistical evidence during the hearing.
Singh said the state government was studying and reviewing the detailed High Court order.
The MP high Court OBC reservation verdict is expected to have a significant impact on government recruitment in Madhya Pradesh, particularly on candidates whose appointments have been delayeed due to the ongoing reservation dispute.
