29 March 2007 

Press Statement 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

 On Stay of OBC Reservation in Educational Institutions

The stay given by the two-member bench of the Supreme Court on  the implementation of 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in the centrally-run educational institutions is unfortunate.

It may be recalled that on the issue of implementation of the Mandal Commission Report, 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in government jobs was decided. The Supreme Court had upheld the reservation alongwith exclusion of the creamy layer.

What was done for Central government jobs has now been extended to Centrally-sponsored educational institutions by legislation in Parliament. 

The judgement has ignored the fact that there are clear-cut lists of Other  Backward Classes in all the states. It is on this basis that there is already reservation for OBCs in educational institutions in many states.

The Polit Bureau calls upon the government to take all necessary steps to ensure  that the Parliament legislation gets implemented.