Supreme Court Reserves Verdict on Whether to Refer to Constitution Bench Pleas against 10% EWS Quota

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on whether to refer to a Constitution bench a batch of pleas challenging the Centre's decision to grant 10% reservation in jobs and education to economically weaker section (EWS).

Attorney General KK Venugopal told a bench headed by Justice Bobde that the Constitution (103 Amendment) Act, 2019, granting 10% reservation to EWS is intended to uplift around 200 million people who are still below the poverty line.

The bench, also comprising Justices R Subhash Reddy and BR Gavai, was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the validity of the Act on the ground that economic criteria cannot be the sole basis for granting reservation.