Inclusion of Jats in OBC list comes under SC scanner

The controversial decision of the United Progressive Alliance-II government ahead of general elections to include Jats in Other Backward Classes category came under judicial scrutiny with the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking explanation from the Centre for allegedly ignoring the advice of a statutory body to keep the community away from reservation benefits.  

The apex court said "the matter is serious" and it would like to "peruse the files containing the materials to know whether there was application of mind or not" for coming out with the March 4 notification to include Jat community in the OBC list.

"The respondent (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) is directed to place entire material, records and files," a bench comprising Chief Justice P Sathasivam and justices Ranjan Gogoi and N V Ramana said.

"We will examine the issue," the bench said while issuing notice and sought response of the Centre on the two petitions challenging the notification to include Jats in the OBC list and posted the matter for hearing on April 9.

The court said it will consider the plea for stay of the notification after examining the materials and also sought the assistance of Attorney General G E Vahanvati.

The notification included Jat community in OBC list in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan (two districts of Bharatpur and Dholpur), Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for OBC Reservation Raksha Samiti, an organisation of members of communities which are included in the Central List of Backward Classes, alleged that it is an "outrageous notification" issued in haste with "vote bank" politics in mind.

"Before the election, a largesse is given by political party in power to purchase votes," Venugopal submitted and elaborated how "illegal and arbitrarily" the Union government ignored National Commission for Backward Class advice which is binding on it to include the Jats in the OBC list.

The senior advocate said Jats will be like a "creamy layer" in the OBC list and will take away the seats and posts in schools, colleges and government jobs from other community.