New Delhi: The BJP-led government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court pleading for its nod to extend reservation to the Jat community in the field of education and for jobs under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
"The Centre's power to make available quota for a community is not dependent on the advice of the National Commission for Backward Classes," the petition filed on Wednesday said.
This move has come within a fortnight of the apex court verdict on March 17 striking down the Centre's March 2014 notification that had put Jats on the OBC list meant for nine states - Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The review petition comes in the wake of a Jat delegation's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the apex court's ruling.
The former Congress-led UPA regime had extended the OBC quota to Jats on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls last year.
