Have no role to play in issue: Backward panel

NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), which had rejected reservation for Jats saying they were an economically-influential section of society, said it has no role to play in the ongoing Jat quota issue in Haryana.

“It is up to the state government,” NCBC member Shakeeluz-Zaman Ansari said. “The Centre has no role in it because the Supreme Court had earlier struck down the OBC reservation for Jats. However, a state government can still do it after conducting a thorough survey and taking into account all legal aspects.”

The UPA government had asked the commission to conduct a survey for granting reservation under the Other Backward Classes category to Jats of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The commission found that Jats were an economically-influential section in all these states and were therefore not eligible for reservation under the OBC category.

The Mandal Commission, on whose recommendations the OBC category was introduced, had listed 11 parameters for social, educational and economic backwardness. And as per the commission’s report, Jats did not fall in most of these categories. The UPA rejected the commission’s view and approved reservation for Jats, which was later struck down by the Supreme Court on the grounds that the commission had negated it.

Experts say it would be difficult for the Haryana government to justify reservation for Jats in a court of law as the Supreme Court has imposed a limit of 50% on reservations in government jobs and admissions in educational institutions.