The previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government had announced reservation for Jats just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
While setting aside the reservation, the court observed that possible wrong inclusion of a caste in the Other Backward Caste list in the past cannot be the basis of further wrong inclusions.
According to the apex court caste, though a prominent factor, cannot be the sole factor to decide backwardness. "Inclusion of politically organised castes like Jats in OBC list is not good for other backward classes," the SC said.
The court also found fault with the Centre's decision to overlook the findings of an OBC panel that Jats are not a backward class.
The then UPA government had in March 2014 issued a notification to include Jats under the OBC category.
Numerically strong, the farming community of Jats in nine North Indian states have been demanding reservation under OBC quota for a long time. Many times, they even staged violent protests in some parts of north India.
Jats have a strong presence in Haryana, Delhi, Western UP, Punjab, Rajasthan, MP and some other states in the Hindi speaking areas of the country.
The National Backward Classes Commission in its earlier recommendation had refused to give reservation to the Jats in the OBC category
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