Minority sub quota: SC to hear Centre's petition today

The Supreme Court will hear the Centre's plea over the 4.5 per cent sub quota for minorities, in New Delhi on Wednesday, after the government presented 'relevant' data before the apex court on Tuesday that formed the basis of creating such a quota.

The apex court, which had on Monday refused to stay the Andhra Pradesh high court order quashing the 4.5 per cent sub- quota for minorities within the 27 per cent reservation for Other backward Classes in central educational institutions, had posted the matter for hearing for Wednesday.

Additional Solicitor General Gourab Banerji on Tuesday mentioned the issue and placed the documents before a bench comprising Justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar.

The apex court had also expressed its unhappiness that the Centre was blaming the high court when it had itself failed to produce documents to support its case.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government had announced the sub-quota of 4.5 per cent for socially and educationally backward people belonging to minority communities on December 22, 2011, ahead of key assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

It envisaged carving this sub-quota out of the existing 27 per cent quota for OBCs. Many political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party have objected to this.

On May 28 this year, an Andhra Pradesh high court's division bench had struck down the government's sub-quota for minorities, and held that the Centre acted in a 'casual manner'.

The high court said that the government office memorandum creating the sub-quota was based on religious grounds and not on any other intelligible consideration.