UNI

New Delhi, May 29: The Supreme Court while refusing to stay the Union Government order - which provides 27.5 per cent reservation to the Other Backward Classes(OBC) candidates in admissions in institutes of higher learning - issued notices to the Centre on a PIL challenging the Government notification to provide reservation to the OBCs.

A vacation bench, comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta, however, directed the Centre to state in their Counter Affidavit:

* What is the basis of determination of OBC.

* What are the modalities for implementing the impugned order and what is basis of arriving at such modalities.

* What is the rationale for adoption of norms for determing the OBC.

The Court also clarified that it will deal with the question raised by the petitioner, Ashok Kumar Thakur, that such a policy shall divide the country on caste basis, appropriately at a later stage.

The Court, without making the appeal as part of the order, indicated that the agitating students should now call off their strike in the larger interest of society as well as patients, as this court is now seized of the matter.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the respondents, including the Centre, accepted the notice and appreciated the sentiments expressed by the apex court that agitating students should call off their agitation.

The Court granted eight-weeks time to the respondents to file their response to the PIL and also granted six-weeks further time to the petitioner to file his rejoinder.

The apex Court also noted that such a policy has serious social and political ramifications for the country.