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The historic verdict of 27% quota to OBCs in higher education would be implemented in prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from the coming academic session.

A day after the deliver of this judgment from Supreme Court Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said that AIIMS will get quota this year “hopefully”

Ramadoss assured that the issue of increase of seats and infrastructure in the institute would be addressed.

AIIMS was the epicenter of protests during the anti-quota agitations in 2006. On the issue of creamy layer among OBCs being excluded from the ambit of the reservation, Ramadoss said “Since the Mandal Commission allowed quota in employment in 1990, only 5.3 per cent seats have been filled out of the 27 per cent”. “This is what will happen to this quota also if the creamy layer is kept out,” he said.

On the issue of graduates not availing the quota benefits if they have already done so once, the Health Minister said “we will go through the details of the order and then decide”. He, however, said the issue of the exclusion of the creamy layer and children of MPs and MLAs would be taken up at both the Cabinet and the UPA level.

“There are so many ex-MPs who have fallen on hard times and some MLAs even do not take home their salaries. To keep their children out of the reservation ambit would be unfair,” Ramadoss said. “These issues need to be kept in mind while dealing with the issue,” he added.

Tags: AIIMS, OBC, Quota

The Supreme Court on Thursday giving a historic verdict said ‘Yes’ to 27% quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in higher education institutes including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).

The five judge Constitution bench headed by the Chief Justice upheld the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.

However judges has excluded creamy layer among the OBCs from the quota. In general the OBC families with 2.5 lakhs or more annual income are included in creamy layer. Supreme Court asked the government to draw parameters applied for identifying the creamy layer among the OBCs for jobs as per the office memorandum of September 8, 1993, will be applicable for identifying the socially and educationally backward classes.

With the decision of exclusion of creamy layer the court has clarified that the reservation is not only caste based but socio-economic conditions are also important.

Also children of MPS and MLAs are also included in the creamy layer and excluded from the benefit of the quota.

The apex court in its March 29, 2007, interim order stayed the implementation of the Act holding that data based on 1931 census cannot be the determinative factor for the affirmative action.

22.5 % reservation was already reserved for SC/ST, now making a total of 49.5 % for reserved classes.

With today’s decision the reservation will be implemented from 2008 academic session.

A mixed bag of reaction is obtained in response to the decision.

Political parties welcome the verdict to give reservation for OBCs. The judgment comes at a very crucial time for the UPA government as the general elections are just a year away.

Congress said that the quota will be implemented immediately. On the same side its rival BJP also praised the verdict saying the judgment given by SC is correct.

Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh, who had been the most vocal supporter of quota for OBCs called it a historic judgement.

On other side there is another group which is upset with the verdict especially for the exclusion of the creamy layer.

“It is a positive verdict. But while enabling the rules, the government should have a re-look at the criteria to define creamy layer,” Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja told IANS.

Raja also expressed disappointment over the court’s silence over quotas for OBCs in the private institutions.

Tags: AIIMS, IIT, India, OBC, Quota, Supreme Court