The Madhya Pradesh High Court has struck down the 2019 law that raised the OBC reservation quota to 27%, citing a violation of the 50% reservation ceiling. Recruitment agencies have been ordered to fill 13% of previously held-back government positions with unreserved candidates within three months, bringing clarity to state-level hiring processes.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court delivered a significant legal ruling on October 9, 2026, setting aside the 2019 state law that had increased the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation quota from 14% to 27%. The division bench, comprising Justices Anand Pathak and Vinay Saraf, declared the amendment unconstitutional, ruling that the state government failed to justify exceeding the 50% total reservation ceiling mandated by judicial precedents.
This ruling carries immediate consequences for administrative recruitment in the state. For several years, a significant number of government job vacancies had remained in limbo due to the legal challenge surrounding the 2019 ordinance. The court has now directed the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission and the Employees Selection Board to resolve the status of these pending positions. Specifically, the 13% of posts that were held back from the recruitment process must now be filled using candidates from the unreserved category within a three-month timeframe.
The 2019 policy was originally introduced via an ordinance by the then-Congress-led state government. Following the court's decision, the policy returns to the previous 14% reservation limit for OBC categories. While this provides immediate clarity on the recruitment backlog, the situation remains fluid. State political leaders and various activist groups have indicated plans to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court, which could lead to further legal uncertainty regarding state-level reservation policies.
For observers of state governance and public policy, the immediate impact is the resolution of recruitment delays that have affected state-run departments for years. While this is an administrative and legal development rather than a corporate financial event, it significantly alters the landscape for government hiring in Madhya Pradesh. Investors and stakeholders tracking state-level administrative stability should note that the court’s order to fill the previously held-back 13% of vacancies must be executed within the next three months, potentially accelerating hiring processes that were previously stalled.