New Delhi/Chandigarh, July 23: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sharply criticised the Chandigarh administration for dragging its feet on implementing the 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in educational institutions, warning that the court may summon the Union Territory’s administrator if the policy is not enacted within a week.
“There is no reason why the law and rules cannot be framed once the Union government has already given its approval,” said a bench led by Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria. “When the competent authority desires to do something, it can be done within minutes. I did it in a day in the Supreme Court,” the CJI added, referring to the top court’s recent implementation of a caste-based reservation policy in its own administrative appointments.
The rebuke came during a hearing on a plea by a medical aspirant who challenged the MBBS admission prospectus of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh, for excluding OBC reservations. Despite the court examining the issue since 2019, the administration has repeatedly cited procedural hurdles to justify the delay—even as reservations for Scheduled Castes (15%) and Scheduled Tribes (7.5%) have been in place.
The court’s patience appeared to have run out after Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the bench that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had already approved the policy and asked the UT administration to frame the necessary law.
“They have enacted a policy and that has been approved by the Union government. We have asked them to frame a law,” Bhati said.
At that point, the bench responded curtly, “How long will they take? This has been pending for so long. Let the administrator be called to the court.”
The Chandigarh administration’s counsel requested four more weeks to complete the process, but the court rejected the plea outright. “Why four weeks? What do you need four weeks for when the Union government has already approved it?” asked CJI Gavai.
In a strongly worded order, the court directed the administration to amend the admission prospectus to include OBC reservation and implement the policy within seven days. “If the order is not complied with, we will be constrained to take steps as deemed necessary,” the bench said.
The delay in Chandigarh’s implementation has persisted despite multiple reminders from the court. In previous hearings, including those in December 2024, February 2025, and April 2025, ASG Bhati sought repeated extensions, citing the policy was under “active consideration.” The court had previously urged both the Union and UT governments to act “expeditiously,” but no meaningful action followed.
Last March, the UT administration proposed implementing 27% reservation for OBCs in all professional and educational institutions under its control, following recommendations from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). The draft was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which raised some queries and sought clarifications from the UT adviser. Since then, the matter has remained stalled.
The impasse has also extended to Panjab University, where OBC reservation is inconsistently applied. During student admissions, only 5% is reserved for backward classes, with expansion pending UGC approval. In faculty recruitment, OBC reservation is not followed due to ongoing confusion about whether Punjab’s or the Centre’s policy should apply. A proposal for 27% reservation in hiring remains under review by the Union Ministry of Education.
By invoking its own swift internal reforms, the apex court signaled that the issue lies not in bureaucracy or process but in the absence of political will. “When the authority wants to do it, it can be done immediately,” the CJI remarked.