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Jaipur, Jan 29 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court Tuesday stayed till Feb 19 the five percent quota in government jobs for four Special Backward Classes (SBC) including Gujjars in the state, a petitioner said. The court observed that as the quota that was introduced by the Congress government in November last year would push total reservation in this category beyond the 50 percent limit, it would be unconstitutional, he said. The stay order has come a day before the SBC quota was to come into existence in the state from Jan 30. A division bench of Justices N.K. Jain and J.K. Ranka passed the order on the petition filed by one Mukesh Solanki that challenged the five percent reservation in government jobs for the four SBCs. "The court stayed the quota for Gujjars and three other communities falling under the Special Backward Classes observing that it would exceed the constitutional 50 percent limit set by the Supreme Court for reservation in government jobs," Solanki said. The next hearing will take place Feb 19, he said. The Congress government in Rajasthan had decided to accept five percent reservation for SBCs recommended by the Rajasthan Other Backward Commission. The government had also granted 14 percent reservation to economically backward classes (EBCs). Before the SBC and EBC quota was proposed, the total reservation in the state was 49 percent. The Gujjar community has held protests several times since 2007 demanding reservation in government jobs.
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