All-Out Effort for 27% OBC Reservation in Madhya Pradesh
Supreme Court Hearing Held on July 22
On July 22, the Supreme Court heard a case concerning the 27% OBC reservation in Madhya Pradesh. The MP High Court had previously limited the OBC reservation to 14% through an interim order dated May 4, 2022. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state government, urged the court to stay this order.
Next Hearing on August 5, 2025
The bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice A.S. Chandurkar scheduled the next hearing for August 5, 2025. On this date, the court will hear the transferred cases from MP alongside similar matters from Chhattisgarh.
Candidates Seek Unholding of 13% Reserved Posts
Selected candidates through MPPSC demanded the release of 13% posts currently on hold despite the state having passed a law for 27% OBC reservation. The court questioned the government: “When did we stop you?”
Advocate Varun Thakur, representing OBC organizations and selected candidates, stated that a formal request was made to unhold the 13% posts.
Controversial Government Notification
The court asked why the government issued a notification dated September 22, 2022, which seemingly contradicted legal provisions. The government admitted the notification was flawed and expressed support for removing the hold. The court reiterated there was no stay on implementation.
Stay on Implementation Since May 2022
In 2019, MP passed a law granting 27% OBC reservation. However, a petition by Shivam Gautam led to a stay order from the MP High Court in May 2022. This also suspended the amended rules and laws. With SC/ST and EWS quotas, total reservation was reaching 73% (ST 20%, SC 16%, OBC 27%, EWS 10%).
The matter was later transferred to the Supreme Court under transfer case 7/2025. If the SC lifts the stay, the full 27% OBC quota could be implemented. So far, over 70 petitions have been transferred to the SC.
Comparison with Chhattisgarh
Advocates Rameshwar Thakur and Varun Thakur cited the example of Chhattisgarh, where the government passed a bill in December 2022 granting 27% OBC reservation, along with 32% for ST, 13% for SC, and 4% for EWS — totaling 76%.
Despite a High Court stay in 2023, the Supreme Court allowed the reservation to continue until the final verdict. Chhattisgarh is also working to include OBC reservation under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
No Concrete Population Data from MP
The MP government claims 48% of its population belongs to the OBC category, but it has failed to present verified data. Due to lack of evidence, the High Court imposed a stay in both 2019 and 2022.
13% Posts on Hold in Every Recruitment
Due to the ongoing dispute, the government has been keeping 13% posts on hold in all recruitments, releasing results for only 14%. Since 2019, over 35 recruitments have been delayed, affecting nearly 800,000 candidates. Around 3.2 lakh selected candidates are still awaiting appointment.
As per the state’s report, after the 2023 assembly elections, 29,000 appointments have been made, but over 1.04 lakh government positions remain vacant.