All about Supreme Court judgement on SC/ST promotion quota

Following is the chronology of events leading to the Supreme Court judgement on Wednesday on the issue of providing benefits of quota in promotion in government jobs to people belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities:

*1992: A nine-judge bench of SC in the historic Indra Sawhney judgement upholds 27 per cent reservation for OBCs subject to exclusion of creamy layer (affluent section).

*2002: M Nagaraj files plea in SC to quash the Constitution (85th Amendment) Act, 2001, which provided consequential seniority to the SC/ST candidates promoted by giving reservation.

*Jan 20, 2006: Constitution (93rd Amendment) Act, 2005, comes into effect empowering the state to make special provisions for SC/STs in admission to educational institutions.

*May 22: Advocate Ashok Kumar Thakur files plea in SC challenging the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, that provides 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions.

*May 27: PM Manmohan Singh constitutes committee to look into implementation of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutes.

*Oct 19: Five-judge bench of SC, in the Nagaraj judgement, says states were bound to provide quantifiable data on the backwardness of SC/ST people before providing them quota in promotions.

*Mar 29, 2007: SC gives interim order staying the implementation of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.

*Aug 7, 2007: Five-judge Constitution bench commences hearing on the validity of the Act.

*Apr 10, 2008: SC upholds validity of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act.

*2016: Senior advocate Indira Jaising filed plea in SC to revisit its 2006 Nagaraj verdict.

*Jan 24, 2017: SC says reservation and relaxation for physical handicapped category candidates in civil services examination is a matter of government policy; courts cannot embark on it.

*Nov 15: Five-judge Constitution bench to examine whether the verdict needs to be re-visited by a seven-judge bench.

*Apr 4, 2018: SC rules out early formation of a larger bench.

*Jul 11: SC refuses to pass an interim order against its 2006 verdict.

*Aug 1: Constitution bench starts hearing.

*Aug 3: SC says states don't have quantifiable data of inadequate representation of SCs/STs in government jobs.

*Aug 16: Centre tells SC creamy layer cannot be applied to deny benefits of quota in promotions.

*Aug 23: SC questions quota in promotions for kith & kin of affluent SC/ST employees.

*Aug 29: SC says there should not be quota in promotions for higher services as the presumption of backwardness of SC and ST employees vanishes once they join services.

*Aug 30: SC reserves verdict.

*Sep 26: SC says states were not required to "collect quantifiable data" reflecting the backwardness among these communities.