The Supreme Court of India gave its nod for 27% quota for “socially and educationally backward classes” in centrally run institutions of higher education like IIMs, IITs and AIIMS.
The five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices Arijit Pasayat, C K Thakker, R V Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari, cleared the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 providing for the quota, by a unanimous verdict.
All judges favoured periodic revision on the implementation of the 27 % quota. In effect, the reservation policy can be put in place for the 2008-09 academic session.
The court has asked the government to review the 27% quota after 5 years.