New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to draft new conditions for reservations in the promotion of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in govt sector. Hearing the plea, a three-bench judge headed by Justice Nagehswar Rao said it is statutory that the states collect data on the inadequacy of representations of SCs/STs. The apex court declined to lay down any new yardstick and instructed states to do so.
The top court said, “The state is obligated to collect quantifiable data regarding SC/ST Representation. The data on reservations must be collected on the basis of cadre-based vacancies. States must conduct a review for the purpose of providing reservation.” Meanwhile, the court said it will take a call whether or not the office memorandum issued in 1997 for promotion in reservation is valid or not.
The centre during the hearing on October 26, 2021, had expressed anguish on the fact that even after 75 years of Independence the scheduled community still struggles to acquire its merits. The court had reserved its verdict then.