The Rajasthan Assembly Thursday passed a bill which increased reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 21 per cent to 26 per cent. The community includes Gujjars and four other castes. The reservation in Rajasthan now stands at 54 per cent defying the set ceiling of 50 per cent by the Supreme Court. The Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in the State and of Appointment and Posts in Services under the State) Bill, 2017, seeks to provide 5 per cent reservation to Banjara, Baldiya, Labana; Gadiya Lohar, Gadoliya; Gujar, Gurjar; Raika, Rebari, Debasi and Gadariya, Gadri, Gayari. The Rajasthan High Court last year struck down five per cent reservation for these castes provided through The Rajasthan Special Backward Classes Act, 2015, pointing out flaws in the government's process of granting reservation. With the 2015 SBC Act, the government had moved the five castes from OBC into a separate Special Backward Castes category. However, the Act was quashed and the government moved them back into the OBC list on May 19 this year. Terming the bill as "lollipop", Gujjar leaders dissatisfaction and said, “the government did not go by as per our agreement.”
