New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill which, if it becomes law, will allow states and Union Territories to draw up their own list of other backward communities (OBCs). The constitution amendment bill was cleared with 385 votes for and none against it.
With the passing of the Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Union Cabinet undid a categorical Supreme Court ruling in May that only the Central government can prepare an OBC list. The court’s stricture came during a hearing on the Maratha quota issue and cited a law passed in 2018.
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Moving the bill today, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar described it as a historic legislation as 671 castes in the country would benefit from it.
