Ahmedabad: After the Supreme Court's interim order staying the implementation of 10 per cent quota for Economically Backward Class (EBC) in open category, Gujarat government today said it would go ahead with recruitment without this quota.
 
If it won the legal battle on validity of EBC quota, it will conduct a separate recruitment drive, it assured.  

Citing court orders, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said in a release that government would fill up more than 60,000 vacant posts as per the rules existing prior to the issuance of ordinance for EBC quota on May 1.
 
The High Court struck down the 10 per cent EBC quota on August 8, and when the state filed ppeal, the Supreme Court said the admissions under this quota granted before August 8 would not be cancelled, but the new quota would not be implemented after that date, till the appeal was pending.
    
The SC also asked the government not to implement EBC quota in recruitments, stated the release.
    
"It is also necessary to see to it that the recruitment process does not get hampered. Therefore the state government has decided to provide jobs to more than 60,000 youths to strengthen the administration. This recruitment will be held as per the rules and regulations in place before the notification on EBC quota was issued," said Patel.
 
The SC has referred the quota case to a three-judge bench. "If the Supreme Court gives judgement in our favour, we will hold a separate recruitment drive to induct youths from EBC category," said Patel.