Madhya Pradesh High Court Strikes Down 27% OBC Quota Amendment as Unconstitutional

In a landmark judgment delivered on Friday, October 9, 2026, a Division Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur declared the state government's 2019 statutory amendment increasing Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation from 14% to 27% unconstitutional. The High Court held that the breach of the 50% constitutional ceiling lacked quantifiable data or exceptional justification required under established Supreme Court jurisprudence.

The court ordered the immediate restoration of OBC reservation in state public services and educational institutions to the original 14% cap, while protecting appointments already finalized under previous recruitments.

The 159-page verdict addressed a batch of writ petitions challenging the validity of the Madhya Pradesh Public Services (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Amendment Act, 2019. The Division Bench observed that expanding OBC reservation pushed overall statutory quotas in the state to 63%, directly violating the 50% ceiling established in Indra Sawhney (1992) and reaffirmed in Jaishri Laxmanrao Patil (2021).

Relying on state empirical data presented during proceedings, the court noted that OBC representation in public employment across various cadres remained adequate, thereby failing to satisfy the mandatory benchmark of 'extraordinary circumstances' required to exceed the 50% threshold.

Following the pronouncement, senior legal officers for the state government confirmed that administrative teams are reviewing the 159-page judgment. State representatives indicated that the government is considering filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court of India to seek a stay on the High Court directive.

The judicial ruling comes amidst broader national debates across multiple states regarding sub-classification, empirical data collection for backward classes, and legislative attempts to exceed the 50% quota ceiling.

The High Court's ruling establishes a binding legal precedent for public recruitment drives in Madhya Pradesh, requiring immediate restructuring of ongoing selection rosters.

As the state government prepares its potential appeal, the case reinforces strict judicial enforcement of constitutional reservation caps in the absence of compelling empirical evidence.