The question asks about the reservation percentage recommended by the Banthia Commission for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies, which was accepted by the Supreme Court in July 2022.

Understanding the Banthia Commission Report

In July 2022, the Supreme Court of India accepted the report submitted by the dedicated commission headed by former chief secretary Jayant Banthia. This commission was formed to gather empirical data regarding the population and representation of OBCs in local self-government bodies within the state of Maharashtra.

The primary objective of setting up this commission was to fulfill the requirements laid down by the Supreme Court for implementing OBC reservation in local body elections. The Court had mandated a 'triple test' for granting such reservation:

• To set up a dedicated Commission to conduct rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of backwardness qua local bodies within the State.
• To specify the proportion of reservation required to be provisioned local body-wise, in light of recommendations of the Commission, so as not to fall foul of overbreadth.
• That the total reservation in favour of SCs/STs/OBCs shall not exceed 50% of the total seats reserved in favour of the category of SCs/STs/OBCs taken together.

The Banthia Commission's work focused on collecting the necessary empirical data to meet the first part of this triple test.

Banthia Commission Recommendation on OBC Reservation

Based on its extensive data collection and analysis, the Banthia Commission made several recommendations. A key recommendation concerned the percentage of reservation to be provided to OBCs in the local self-government bodies across the state. The commission recommended providing up to 27 percent reservation for OBCs in these local bodies.

The Supreme Court's acceptance of this report paved the way for the implementation of OBC reservation in local body elections in Maharashtra, adhering to the triple test criteria, particularly by relying on the empirical data provided by the Banthia Commission.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the given options in the context of the Banthia Commission's recommendation:

• Option 1: 27 percent
• Option 2: 15 percent
• Option 3: 24 percent
• Option 4: 20 percent

The Banthia Commission explicitly recommended up to 27 percent reservation for OBCs in local bodies based on its empirical data. Therefore, the percentage recommended by the commission and accepted by the Supreme Court is 27 percent.

This decision is significant as it impacts political representation at the grassroots level and ensures that the constitutional mandate for empowering backward classes is followed based on empirical data, as required by the Supreme Court.

Revision Table: Banthia Commission and OBC Quota

Additional Information: Triple Test for OBC Reservation

The concept of the 'triple test' was laid down by the Supreme Court in the 2010 K. Krishna Murthy (Dr.) v. Union of India case. This judgment outlined the prerequisites that states must fulfill before providing political reservation for OBCs in local self-government bodies.

The three conditions are:

• Establishing a dedicated commission to conduct an empirical study on the backwardness of OBCs in the context of local bodies.
• Specifying the proportion of reservation based on the commission's recommendations, ensuring it is proportionate to the backwardness.
• Ensuring that the total reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs combined does not exceed the 50% limit of total seats.

States are required to satisfy all three conditions before implementing OBC reservation in Panchayat and Municipality elections. The Banthia Commission was constituted by the Maharashtra government specifically to meet the first requirement of this triple test.