It’s for govt to take call on caste-based quota: Supreme Court

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 25

All caste-based reservations may go and only those meant for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) may remain, the Supreme Court said on Thursday even as it clarified that it was a radical idea and a policy matter to be decided by the government and Parliament.

On the ninth day of hearing on revising the 1992 Mandal case, advocate Shriram P Pingle submitted before a five-judge constitution Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan on behalf of the SCBC Welfare Association that an endeavour should be made to remove caste-based reservations in a phased manner because the issue was getting politicised.

“That is for Parliament and the legislature to consider It is a welcome idea... When the Constitution was enacted, the object was a caste-less, egalitarian society…Your thoughts are very radical and good. But it is for the government to take a decision that caste and reservations should go,” the Bench said.