‘DMK’s claim on OBC reservation will not benefit T.N. students’

Centre places contention before High Court

The Centre on Tuesday claimed that increasing the percentage of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 27% to 50% in all India quota medical seats, as being demanded by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), would not benefit students from Tamil Nadu in a big way and that a majority of those seats would end up being garnered by OBCs from other States. Appearing before Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu, Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj contended that on July 20, 2020, a Bench led by the then Chief Justice A.P. Sahi had only ordered that OBCs would be entitled to reservation in all India quota and the Bench did not rule that the State reservation policy of 50% should be applied while filling such quota. The ASG pointed out that all India quota was basically a creation of the Supreme Court and that it was filled up without any reservation until the Supreme Court in 2006 ordered reservation for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Subsequently, the SC/STs were provided 15% and 7.5% respectively as per the central reservation policy. Pointing out that Tamil Nadu follows the 69% reservation policy of providing 50% to OBCs, 18% to SCs and 1% to STs, Mr. Natraj said the State government never objected to the quantum of reservation when it came to SCs and STs and was now wanting the State specific reservation policy to be followed when it came to implementing reservation for OBCs.