Why is it in News?

• The SC refused to entertain a plea challenging the grant of 5% quota to gujjars and four other castes in jobs and educational institutons in rajasthan.

Details:

• The SC dismissed the appeal against the rajasthan HC order refusing to grant interim relief on petition challenging the quota to gujjars and others, treating them as socially and economically backward classes.
• It was argued that the reservation would breach the 50% ceiling on total quota.

Socially and economically backward classes:

• Economically Backward Classes or Economically Weaker Sections in India is a category of people having an annual income less than Rs8 lakhs and who do not belong to any reserved category such as SC/ST/OBC.
• 124th Amendment provides 10 per cent reservation for economically backward sections is said to benefit poor upper castes as well as some farming communities.

This amended two fundamental rights:

• Article 15, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, caste, sex or place of birth
• Article 16 which prohibits discrimination in employment in government office.
• -Gujarat has become the first State in the country to implement the new provision.