The Supreme Court today declined to stay the Patna High Court’s ruling that annulled the increase in reservation for Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes, and Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC/STs) in Bihar from 50% to 65% in public employment and educational institutions. The final hearing is scheduled for September, with no interim relief granted.
The Supreme Court overturned Bihar’s decision to reclassify the Tanti-Tantwa community as Scheduled Castes, reiterating that only the central government can modify these lists as per Article 341 of the Indian Constitution. The Court directed reallocation of affected individuals to Extremely Backward Classes without penalizing them.
