The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the case of the 4% reservation for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana for a week.
The case was listed today before a five-judge bench comprising Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Indira Banarjee, Justice Vineet Saran, Justice M R Shah and Justice Anirudh Bose. Senior counsel Rajiv Dhavan represented the Backward Classes Department of Telangana. Senior advocates Salman Khursheed and Shakeel Ahmed were present as counsels for Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir, who is one of the petitioners along with the Telangana and AP governments.
The case was adjourned for a week following a request by Rajiv Dhawan on behalf of all the petitioners.
A 5% reservation was given for Muslims by then Chief Minister of united AP late Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in 2004 and then in 2005. However the quota was reduced to 4% in 2007 following the AP High Court and the Supreme Court quashing the 5% reservation both times. This was again challenged in the High Court which stayed it. The state government then approached the Supreme Court seeking vacation of the stay. Shabbir Ali also impleaded himself in the case.
The apex court lifted the High Court's stay on the implementation of the 4% reservation for Muslims on March 25, 2010, ordering continuation of the quota for the 14 backward category Muslims listed under the BC-E group until further orders.
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