‘EWS quota violates Constitution’

NEW DELHI: The Centre’s decision to grant 10 per cent quota for the EWS category in admissions and jobs violates the basic structure of the Constitution on multiple counts including that it breaches the 50 per cent cap on reservation, the Supreme Court was told on Tuesday.

The quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) is a “deceitful and a backdoor attempt” to destroy the concept of reservation, a lawyer submitted before the court, which was told it also excludes the poor belonging to the SCs, STs, and OBC category and defeats the creamy layer concept.

The 10 per cent EWS quota is in addition to the 50 per cent reservation for the SCs, STs, and OBCs.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, heard the submissions during a day-long hearing of arguments by three lawyers appearing for the PIL petitioners opposed to the EWS quota.