Supreme Court quashes OBC quota for Jats

New Delhi: In an order that will have wide political ramifications across northern India, the Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the notification by the former UPA government to include Jats in the Central list of Other Backward Classes giving them the benefit of reservations.

A two-member bench of Justices Tarun Gogoi and Rohinton Nariman found fault with the Centre’s decision (in March 2014) to overlook the findings of the National Commission for Backward Classes, which said Jats do not deserve to be included in the Central OBCs’ list as they don’t constitute a socio-economic backward class.

While in power, the Congress-led UPA-II had on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls gone against the advice of the National Commission for Backward Classes in a bid to win over the community, particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Outer Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh. Jats were included in the OBC list after widespread agitations, including road and rail blockades that paralysed the movement of trains and road traffic.

On the eve of the Haryana Assembly polls late last year, the Modi government too had backed the UPA decision to include Jats in the Central OBC list for reservations. The court’s order at this juncture comes as a big blow to the Modi government as the BJP will try to consolidate itself in western UP. Assembly polls in UP are due to be held in 2017.

The repercussions of the court’s decision was felt in the corridors of power on Tuesday, with rural development minister and Jat leader Chaudhary Birender Singh voicing his dissatisfaction. “This is a court decision, but on the basis of societal demarcations, if Yadavs and Gujjars can get reservations, why not Jats,”  the minister asked.