Key Points

As the hearing in the case in Supreme Court was postponed for Thursday after Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, representing the Madhya Pradesh government, sought some more time, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari said that the state was unnecessary delaying the hearing.

Talking to media persons in New Delhi, Patwari said, "Seeking more and more time is nothing but an attempt to delay hearing of the matter. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is doing the same what former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan did for the last seven years. They say some else in front of camera, but they do what they want to."

Patwari informed that Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi will present the Congress' view in the court on Thursday. "Congress will continue to fight for OBC until they get benefit of 27 per cent reservation as Kamal Nath-led Congress government approved it in 2019," he added.

During Wednesday's proceedings, the Solicitor General, representing the Madhya Pradesh government along with Advocate General Prashant Singh, Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, and Special Counsel Advocate Shashank Ratnu, requested additional time to address technical complications in the case.

The Supreme Court expressed concern that repeated delays could further complicate matters, especially with the upcoming Diwali holidays approaching.

The Bench suggested two potential pathways for resolving the matter: providing interim relief similar to the temporary benefits granted in Chhattisgarh, or directly referring the case back to the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The Supreme Court emphasised that reservation issues are state-specific and require understanding of local population dynamics and demographic circumstances.

"This is a state-specific reservation issue. While the Indira Sawhney judgment is relevant, the High Court has a better understanding of the local population and context," the Bench observed.

The court noted that state High Courts are better positioned to examine the geographical, social, and demographic conditions that justify exceeding the 50 per cent reservation ceiling established in the landmark 1992 Mandal Commission case.

The controversy stems from Madhya Pradesh's attempt to increase OBC reservation from 14 per cent to 27 per cent, pushing the state's total reservation quota to 73 per cent when combined with existing SC (16 per cent ), ST (20 per cent), and EWS (10 per cent ) quotas.

The state government has justified this increase by citing "extraordinary circumstances," arguing that OBCs constitute over 50 per cent of Madhya Pradesh's population yet remain severely underrepresented in government services and educational institutions.

The government submitted a comprehensive 15,000-page affidavit containing surveys, commission findings, and administrative data to support its position.

The case has significant political ramifications in Madhya Pradesh, where OBCs and tribals comprise nearly half the population. Currently, under the 87:13 formula implemented in 2023, results for 87 per cent of advertised government posts can be declared while 13 per cent remain on hold pending the final decision.

- IANS