The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday stayed till February 19 the 5% quota in government jobs provided to the special backward classes (SBCs) of the state last year.
A bench of justice NK Jain and justice JK Ranka passed the order after hearing a public interest petition, and said “more than 50% reservation without any valid justification is unconstitutional”.
The stay is a setback to the SBCs, especially the Gujjars, who had agitated for reservations several times in the past, and the government, which is likely to challenge the order in the Supreme Court, sources said.
The Rajasthan government had provided the quota to five communities, Gujjars, Rebaris, Gadia Luhar, Banjara and Raikas, on November 30 last year, after a spate of Gujjar agitations. The court has accepted their plea to be admitted as parties to the case.