The Madras High Court on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 agreed to hear on July 10 a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed against non-implementation of 10% Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota in State government jobs and educational institutions despite it having been introduced through a constitutional amendment which came into force since January 2019.
First Division Bench of Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu accepted a request made by advocate K. Subbu Ranga Bharathi for an early hearing of the PIL petition, filed by his client Periya Nambi Narasimha Gopalan in 2020 itself, and directed the High Court Registry to list the matter on July 10.
On July 8, 2020, another Division Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh (now a Supreme Court judge) and R. Hemalatha had taken note of a submission made by a Special Government Pleader that the 103rd constitutional amendment had been challenged before the Supreme Court and therefore, ordered listing of the present PIL after the apex court decides the issue.
Since the Supreme Court had in November 2022 upheld the validity of the constitutional amendment, through which the 10% EWS quota was introduced, and dismissed the review petitions too in May this year, the petitioner wanted the High Court to now take up his plea for implementation of the quota in State government jobs and educational institutions.
