Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the state government for keeping 13% of Other Backward Class (OBC) posts on hold. In a stern admonishment, the apex court asked if the state government has been “sleeping for the past six years”.
The court was hearing two petitions, one of candidates selected through the MP Public Service Commission (MPPSC) who were not given appointments, and the other, a stay vacating petition.
The 27% OBC reservation was introduced in 2019, but a High Court stay order led to a temporary formula (87:13) being used for recruitments, with 13% of the posts remaining on hold.
The matter pertains to the Madhya Pradesh Public Service (Reservation for SC, ST, and OBC) Amendment Act, 2019, which raised the OBC reservation to 27%. However, this was challenged in the High Court, leading to a stay on its implementation in certain sectors, causing significant hurdles in new recruitment processes. There will be daily hearing from September 23.
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During the hearing on Tuesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General K.M. Natraj told the apex court that due to adjournment legality, it was not implemented; otherwise, the government is ready to implement 27% OBC reservation.
They argued that the ongoing stay has resulted in a recruitment bottleneck.
Senior advocate Varun Thakur, who appeared on behalf of candidates who have not been appointed, said the apex court was pointing out how 13% posts had been lying vacant without resolution for the past six years.The next hearing is on September 23.
