Supreme Court okays OBC quota in Madhya Pradesh local body polls

The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for local body polls in Madhya Pradesh with OBC reservation, allowing the state government to notify the reservation pattern on the basis of the recommendations in a second report of a state backward classes commission.

A bench presided by Justice A M Khanwilkar took into account the state's submission that an earlier report which the court had objected to had been revised and that the delimitation exercise had already been completed and notified.

On May 10, the court had directed that the elections to the local bodies be notified within two weeks without providing for OBC reservation as the state was yet to complete the triple test laid down by the SC before providing for such reservation.

Subsequently, the state again approached the court seeking permission to implement the OBC quota saying that the first report of the commission was revised keeping in view the concerns expressed by the court and contended that the second report satisfies the triple test requirement.

On Wednesday, the bench which perused the second report said it focuses on the local body wise reservation for OBCs by keeping in mind the maximum reservation limit of 50 per cent as laid down by the Supreme Court.