Apparently addressing concerns that it was encroaching into parliamentary territory, the Supreme Court has said the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the OBC reservation bill will be placed before it after it is tabled in the House.
Against the backdrop of political parties expressing apprehensions over its order that the Standing Committee report be placed before it, the committee met on Wednesday and said the report would be tabled in Parliament first.
Taking note of Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian's point that the bill was under examination of the committee, the court, in its order signed on Tuesday, observed that "in all probability, it is submitted that the report, if received from the Parliament (committee), will be placed before the Parliament in the Winter Session, which is likely to commence from 27-11-2006.
"Assurance is given by him (ASG) that a copy of the Standing Committee's report shall be placed in a sealed cover before this court", the court said.
"The committee will submit its report to Parliament," senior Congress MP Janardhan Dwivedi, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee of the HRD Ministry, told PTI after a meeting in which the issue of the Supreme Court order seeking a report on the quota bill came up.
The committee is expected to meet on November 1 and 2 during which it is likely to focus on the bill providing for 27 per cent OBC reservation in aided institutions.
The bill was introduced in Parliament on August 24 and was later referred to it.