Supreme Court dismisses review petitions filed against its EWS quota verdict

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court on May 16 dismissed review petitions filed against its decision to uphold 10 percent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS).

A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, Justice Bela M Trivedi and JB Pardiwala dismissed the review petition.

"Having perused the review petitions, there is no error apparent on the face of the record. No case for review under Order XLVII Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules 2013. The review petitions are, therefore, dismissed," the bench recorded in the order passed on May 9, reported Live Law.

On November 7 last year, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court, by a majority view of 3:2, upheld the validity of the 103rd Constitution amendment providing 10 percent reservation to people belonging to EWS in admissions and government jobs.

The top court had said the law on EWS quota does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice UU Lalit pronounced four separate verdicts on 40 petitions challenging the validity of the 103rd Constitution amendment promulgated by the Centre in 2019.

While Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, Bela M Trivedi and J B Pardiwala upheld the law, Justice S Ravindra Bhat along with the CJI shot down the same in their minority view.

The majority further held that a breach of the 50 percent ceiling limit by EWS reservation does not violate the basic structure.

The apex court had on September 27, 2022, reserved the verdict on the legal question of whether the EWS quota violated the basic structure of the Constitution after hearing a battery of senior lawyers, including the then Attorney General K K Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, in a marathon hearing that had lasted for six-and-half-days.

(With inputs from agencies)