Rajasthan government hikes OBC reservation from 21% to 26%

Rajasthan Assembly on 26th October 2017 passed a bill which increased reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 21 percent to 26 percent. The community includes Gujjars and four other castes. The reservation in Rajasthan now stands at 54 per cent defying the set ceiling of 50 per cent by the Supreme Court. The Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in the State and of Appointment and Posts in Services under the State) Bill, 2017, seeks to provide 5 per cent reservation to Banjara, Baldiya, Labana; Gadiya Lohar, Gadoliya; Gujar, Gurjar; Raika, Rebari, Debasi and Gadariya, Gadri, Gayari.

Rajasthan High Court last year struck down five per cent reservation for these castes provided through The Rajasthan Special Backward Classes Act, 2015, pointing out flaws in the government’s process of granting reservation. With the 2015 SBC Act, the government had moved the five castes from OBC into a separate Special Backward Castes category. As per Supreme Court guidelines, the total quota in government jobs and educational institutes for different reserved categories in the state cannot go beyond 50 per cent.