The Patna High Court on Thursday struck down Bihar’s decision to increase reservations for backward classes, scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes from 50 to 65 percent. This decision came after the Nitish Kumar government, following a caste-based survey, had in November last year, increased quotas for these groups in government jobs and educational institutions.

A division bench led by Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran declared the amendments unconstitutional, stating they violated the equality clause under Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution. The court was responding to a batch of pleas challenging the state’s reservation policy.

RJD leader Manoj Jha called the court’s decision “unfortunate” and urged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to challenge the ruling in a higher court. Jha questioned the social background of the petitioners and suggested that hidden interests were at play.

The Bihar Assembly had passed the Reservation Amendment Bill in November 2023, without Chief Minister Nitish Kumar present. The amendment proposed a reservation quota of 20 percent for Scheduled Castes, 2 percent for Scheduled Tribes, and 43 percent for Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes. Including the 10 percent quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), the total reservation in Bihar would have been 75 percent, surpassing the Supreme Court’s 50 percent ceiling.

The decision left only 25 percent of seats for the open merit category, significantly reducing opportunities for those not covered by reservations.