HC strikes down Madhya Pradesh’s 27% OBC quota law, calls it ‘unconstitutional’
The High Court judgment came after years of hearing on a number of petitions filed by students from unreserved categories, who had challenged the Amendment Act of August 2019
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has struck down a 2019 state law that increased reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category from 14% to 27%. The court held that the government could not demonstrate any "extraordinary conditions or emergent situations" to breach the 50% ceiling on reservation, deeming the amendment "unconstitutional".
The 159-page order also directed state recruitment authorities to fill 13% posts, which have been on hold since September 2022, with unreserved candidates within three months based on existing selection lists. The court's decision came after years of hearings on petitions filed by unreserved category students who challenged the 2019 amendment.
Despite the controversy, OBCs form more than 50% of the state's population, and the law was seen as a response to electoral politics, according to the court.
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