Rejecting the arguments of anti-quota petitioners that vote bank politics is the base for the government?s decision to add more castes in the list of beneficiaries for quota, the Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the inclusion of more castes was done by ?following proper guidelines.? The government?s counsel, appearing before the five-judge Constitution bench, also said that political factors like vote bank politics have no bearing on the government?s decision.
??The National Backward Classes Commission has rejected the inclusion of Marathas in the Central List in spite of the fact that the members of the said community had threatened agitation,?? Solicitor General GE Vahanavati said before the bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan.
??To say that whole exercise was done for political purpose and vote-bank politics is wrong,?? he added. The bench is examining the Constitutional validity of the quota law, passed in Parliament, providing 27% quota to OBCs in elite educational institutions such as IITs and IIMs. He also added that the NBCC had considered including those castes, which were left out in the list. ??Till date 531 cases have been rejected for inclusion,?? he said.
Responding to a query from the Bench that in most cases when application was made for inclusion of castes, there was no opposition, Vahanavati said: ??In all such cases there has been proper application of mind. The first major addition in the list had taken place in 1994.??
He also said that Article 29(2) of the Constitution, which prohibits denial of admission in educational institution on grounds of religion, race, caste or language, was not coming in way of implementation of the quota law. ??It provides reservation for socially and educationally backward classes,?? he argued.
