New Delhi, February 23 The Supreme Court on Monday sought details of backward Muslim communities while hearing a plea seeking quota in jobs and admissions under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category for 'Pasmanda Muslims'.
"What about the other Muslim OBCs? The OBC is not only a social status factor, but an economic factor is also present," a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked senior advocate Anjana Prakash, who was representing petitioner Mohd Waseem Saifi.
The PIL sought a 10 per cent quota for Pasmanda Muslims by sub-categorising the OBCs based on the Ranganath Misra Commission report.
The bench said it had to consider whether Pasmandas were statistically the only backward classes.
"At the cost of other poor Muslims, you only want to promote Pasmandas… Where is the research on how many total Muslims are backward," the CJI asked.
Senior lawyer Anjana Prakash said that she would file a note in response to the queries. The bench then ordered the re-listing of the plea after four weeks.
Prakash, at the outset, urged the bench to link the PIL with another pending case concerning whether Muslims in Andhra Pradesh can be given a four per cent reservation under the socially and educationally backward classes.
The senior lawyer said that 'Pasmanda' Muslims are poor and deserve to be granted quota benefits under the OBC category.
A constitution bench is considering the appeal of the state government against the 2005 decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
It had struck down the Andhra Pradesh Reservation of Seats in the Educational Institutions and of appointments/posts in the Public Services under the State to Muslim Community Act, 2005.