Gujarat HC Criticizes Delay in OBC Commission Appointments

The Gujarat High Court criticized the state government for the delay in appointing two members to the OBC Commission, which has been pending for eight months. The court questioned the commission's operation with only a chairperson and urged the state to expedite the appointment process.

The Gujarat High Court on Friday criticized the state government over the delay in appointing two members to the Other Backward Class (OBC) Commission, a process that has been pending for eight months despite prior assurances.

State government pleader GH Virk informed the court that the appointments were still pending, but asserted that the OBC Commission, established in 1993 through a government resolution, was operational. The court, however, expressed displeasure at the commission being run solely by a chairperson, who is a former Gujarat High Court judge.

Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi, hearing Public Interest Litigations filed in 2018, questioned how a one-member commission could be effective. Advocate Vishal Dave highlighted that the national OBC commission has five members, whereas Gujarat's has only a chairperson. The bench granted the state two weeks to submit an affidavit regarding the appointments.

(With inputs from agencies.)