Government seeks Supreme Court’s clear line for quota in SC/ST promotion

Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told a bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao that SC/STs have been side lined from the mainstream for years and “we have to bring an equaliser (in form of reservation) in the interest of the country to give them an equal chance”.

“If you don’t lay down a definite decisive ground that the states and union will follow, there’ll be a multitude of litigations. There will never be an end to this issue as to what is the principle on which reservation has to be made...

“We can’t fill the seats unless merit is the criteria but there is a class that has been side lined from the mainstream for centuries. In which case, in the interest of the country and in the interest of the constitution, we have to bring an equaliser, and that in my view is proportional representation. That gives the right to equality,” Venugopal told the bench also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai which reserved its verdict on the issue.

He said, “we need a principle on which reservations are to be made”.

The apex court was hearing arguments on the issue relating to reservation in promotions to the employees belonging to SCs and STs.