New Delhi: A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to go ahead with the hearing of batch of petitions challenging 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections amongst the general category of population introduced in 2019 while putting on hold, for now, the adjudication of issue of religion-based reservation rooted in 2005 decision of Andhra Pradesh government granting 4 per cent reservation to Muslims in educational institutions and jobs in the state.
The Central government brought 10 per cent reservation for EWS of the population in general category in pursuance to 103rd amendments of the constitution in the year 2019.
A five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice J.B. Pardiwala, tentatively earmarked five-days for the hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the EWS reservation — three days in the week starting with September 12 and two days in the week starting September 19.
The court allocated five days for the hearing, as Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told the court that he would require three hours to make his submissions and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informing the constitution bench that both the sides petitioners opposing 10 per cent EWS reservation and the central government, states and others defending the reservation would require 17.5 hours which bench rounded off to 18 hours.
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