Supreme Court Evaluates OBC Quota for Pasmanda Muslims

The Supreme Court is examining a plea to grant a 10 percent job and educational quota for Pasmanda Muslims under the OBC category. The court asked for data on other Muslim OBC communities before deciding on the sub-categorization proposed by the petitioner. The case is set to be re-listed in four weeks.

The Supreme Court is currently assessing a plea that seeks to allocate a 10 percent quota in jobs and education for Pasmanda Muslims under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. During the proceedings, the bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, inquired about the status of other Muslim OBC communities.

The petitioner, represented by senior advocate Anjana Prakash, referred to the Ranganath Misra Commission report to justify the request for sub-categorization within the OBCs. The bench raised concerns about the overall number of backward Muslims and whether Pasmanda Muslims uniquely qualify as backward classes.

The case has been scheduled for re-hearing in four weeks, with Prakash asked to provide further clarifications. This comes amidst ongoing discussions about a similar reservation issue in Andhra Pradesh concerning a related 2005 High Court decision.