The Supreme Court of India Gives Final Verdict on the EWS Quota Reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections of the Society. Today, the Supreme Court supported a 10 percent quota for jobs and education for EWS (Economically Weaker Sections), proposed just before the 2019 general election.
Two Supreme Court judges dissented from the majority judgement, including Chief Justice UU Lalit, who will retire tomorrow, saying the EWS quota is not discriminatory.
On Monday, the Supreme Court concluded that reservations on economic grounds do not violate the essential features of the Indian Constitution, while hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the 103rd amendment to the Constitution.
There was dissent from Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat on the quota matter. Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, Bela M Trivedi and JB Pardiwala ruled in favor of the quota.
As a result of the amendment, 10% of educational and government jobs would be reserved for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
This judgment was pronounced by a five-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice UU Lalit. In his order, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari said: “A reservation for EWS does not violate the equality code or fundamental element of the constitution, and a breach of 50 percent does not violate the basic structure because the ceiling is only for 16(4) and (5).”
In the EWS quota, persons with gross annual incomes less than 8 lakh are eligible. Backward classes are excluded. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes are included separately in the prevalent 50% reservation. It had been argued in court that the EWS quota was only beneficial to the middle class among the forward castes because backward classes had been excluded.
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The Constitution was amended to incorporate economic reservations by amending Articles 15 and 16 and adding clauses that empower state governments to provide reservations for economic backwardness.
The government announced during the hearing that it would increase EWS seats by 25% in its institutions.
What is EWS Quota?
A section of the society referred to as the economically weaker section (EWS) belongs to the unreserved category and has an annual family income of less than 8 lakh rupees. The term includes those who already enjoy reservation benefits despite not belonging to one of the caste categories of ST/SC/OBC.
Now Supreme Court Also cleared 10% Quota for the Economically weaker sections in his Final Verdict.
