SC junks plea against continuity of caste-based reservation in education

NEW DELHI, July 9: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea challenging the continuity of the caste-based reservations in the educational institutes in the country. A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat turned down the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner, Dr Subhash Vijayran, an MBBS doctor. He has been informed that the court was not inclined to entertain his petition and accordingly Vijayran withdrew the plea.
Arguing against reservation in education, the petitioner has pointed out that a seat is given to a student who is less meritorious because of reservation. This, he says, is counterproductive to empowering the backward classes but also to national progress. The plea contended that the objective should be making all capable of competing at an open level rather than offering reservation. Due to reservations, many people in the country now seek the ‘tag’ of a backward class to gain special privileges, he argued.
“Our nation cannot be forced to carry the burden of caste-based reservations for eternity for it would not only stagnant its growth but also divide our society permanently on caste lines,” the plea said. (UNI)