New Delhi,
The Union Cabinet today approved a proposal for setting up a commission under Article 340 of the Constitution to examine the issue of sub-categorisation of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The “Commission to Examine the Sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes” will submit its report within 12 weeks from the date of appointment of chairperson.

It will examine the extent of inequitable distribution of reservation benefits among the castes/communities included in the broad category of OBCs, with reference to OBCs in the Central list.

The commission will also work out the mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters for sub-categorisation within such OBCs, take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes/communities/sub-castes/synonyms in the Central list of OBCs and classify them into sub-categories.

The Supreme Court in its 1992 order had observed that there was no constitutional or legal bar to a state categorising Backward Classes as backward or more backward and that if a state chooses to do it (sub-categorisation), it is not impermissible in law.

Haryana, Andhra, Telangana, Puducherry, Karnataka, Jharkhand, WB, Bihar, Maharashtra and TN have already carried out sub-categorisation.