NEW DELHI: The West Bengal government on Tuesday sought an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court of its appeal against the Calcutta High Court verdict striking down the OBC status of several castes, mostly Muslim groups, in the state for granting them reservation in public sector jobs and admissions in state-run educational institutions.The top court said it will hear the pleas on the issue on August 27.Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state government, told a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that the high court verdict needed to be stayed as it was affecting the admission of candidates who have cleared the NEET-UG, 2024.”We need a stay of the high court’s verdict… the issue of scholarships is pending and the NEET admissions will be effected,” Sibal said, adding that the plea be heard during the day.A counsel, representing the state’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) panel, said students are lining up for authentication of their OBC status for securing admissions to medical colleges and other institutions.”We will hear it on Tuesday (August 27),” the CJI said.The top court had on August 5 asked the state government to provide quantifiable data on social and economic backwardness of fresh castes it has included in the OBC list and on their inadequate representation in public sector jobs.While issuing notices to the private litigants on the plea of the state government against the high court verdict, it had asked West Bengal to file an affidavit giving details of the consultations, if any, made by it and the state’s backward classes panel before including 37 castes, mostly Muslim groups, in the OBC list.The high court had on May 22 struck down the OBC status of several castes in West Bengal granted since 2010, holding as illegal the reservation for them in public sector jobs and state-run educational institutions.
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