MP OBC Quota Row: Controversy regarding the 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) once again gained attention as people continue protests against the pending case. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, recruitment agencies adapted an 87:`13 per cent formula under which appointments against people from the OBC quota are being kept on hold as the court's final ruling is still pending. The halt has had severe consequences, with thousands of selected candidates for multiple examinations awaiting their appointment letters. Consequently, Since July 15, 2026, a special bench of the Jabalpur High Court has been conducting regular (day-to-day) hearings to resolve the case.
The hold in verdict has had severe consequences for several candidates. Nearly 11,000 posts remain on hold, leaving around 22,000 candidates uncertain whether they have finally been selected or rejected. Many have spent years waiting for appointment letters.
Stories Which Narrate Pathetic Condition Of Helpless Candidates
A man from Burhanpur was preparing for a government recruitment and was selected in the ESB ITI Training Officer (TO) recruitment examination.
He resigned from his private job after selection, expecting to join government service. However, years later, he has neither received an appointment nor found another stable job. Today, he works alongside his father in the fields while supporting his wife and young daughter.
A woman from Jabalpur was selected in the Class I Teacher Recruitment 2023 and later in the Class II Teacher Recruitment 2024. However, the results of both recruitments remain on hold. The woman, currently, works as a guest teacher and takes up other small jobs to support her household.
A Selected Police Recruit Survives On Daily Wage
A person selected in the Madhya Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment is still waiting for his appointment. He says years of preparation have yielded nothing, forcing him to survive through daily wage work, security jobs, and other temporary employment.
Financial Hardship Leaves Family Struggling
A woman from Shivpuri, had once proudly displayed a selfie with police personnel as her WhatsApp profile picture, believing she would soon join the force.
She scored 156 marks in the Police Constable Recruitment but was placed in the 13 per cent OBC hold category.
Positions On Hold In The State
School Teacher Recruitment (Classes 1, 2 & 3) accounts for the highest number of frozen vacancies, with 4,233 positions currently on hold.
Police constable recruitment sees the second-highest deferment, with 1,990 vacancies placed on hold.
Group-4 Combined Recruitment has put a total of 1,180 positions on hold.
Group-5 Medical Staff (staff nurse and ANM) recruitment has paused the hiring process for 994 people.
Joint forest guard, field guard, and Jail Guard recruitment accounts for 542 positions currently on hold.
Other recruitments combine for an additional 1,028 positions that have been put on hold.
Overall, a total of 9,967 positions across various departments are currently on hold.
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Supreme Court To Resolve Deadlock
On February 19, 2026, the Supreme Court referred all related petitions to the Jabalpur High Court, directing it to form a special bench and complete the hearing within 90 days. The court expressed concern over the unnecessary delay, calling the matter a sensitive one involving students and government jobs.
Since July 15, 2026, a special bench of the Jabalpur High Court has been conducting regular (day-to-day) hearings in Courtroom No. 13. The court has clearly instructed the lawyers of both parties not to seek adjournments without valid reasons and to limit the arguments to legal and constitutional aspects only.
With hearings now underway, thousands of candidates remain hopeful that the court's verdict will finally bring an end to years of uncertainty, allowing long-pending government recruitment processes to move forward and appointments to be issued.