Patna High Court Strikes Down Bihar's 65% Reservation Quota on 20.06.2024

Jun 20, 2024, 06:29 AM

The Patna High Court has set aside the Bihar Government's decision to increase the reservation quota for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) from 50% to 65%. The court ruled on 20.06.2024 that the Bihar Reservation (for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes) (Amendment) Act, 2023, and the Bihar (In admission in Educational Institutions) Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023, were ultra vires the constitution. The amendments had reduced the space for the open merit category to 35%, which the court found to be in violation of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution. The decision impacts reservations in government jobs and higher educational institutions.