- The Madhya Pradesh Assembly has passed the Madhya Pradesh Public Service (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Amendment Bill 2019.
- The bill raises the reservation in government jobs and education for Other Backward Classes (OBC) to 27% from the present 14%.
- The 13% more reservation for OBCs along with the 10% quota for economically weaker sections (EWS) in government jobs takes the total reservation in Madhya Pradesh to 73%.This has breached the 50% cap on reservation imposed by the Supreme Court in 1992.
- The Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case (1992), had held that the power conferred to the State by Clause (4) of Article 16 should be exercised in a fair manner and within reasonable limits. The court upheld that reservation under Clause (4) shall not exceed 50% of the appointments or posts, barring certain extraordinary situations
- Article 16 (4) empowers the State to make provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is inadequately represented in public employment.
