NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has given one more week to Kerala and Tamil Nadu to state their position on reviewing the 1992 decision that the reservation should be 50 percent.

Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, who appeared for Kerala, had asked for extra time to state position as the assembly elections are scheduled for next month. A five-member bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan was told that a stand needs to be taken on the issue through dialogue as it was a policy issue. However, the court ruled that the decision in the Indira Sahni case that the reservation limit should not exceed 50 per cent should be reconsidered and referred to a wider bench, and that the election was not an impediment to taking a stand.

The apex court was hearing petitions challenging a law passed by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly allowing reservation for Marathas in educational institutions and government jobs.

Duttar, a senior advocate appearing for the Maharashtra government, argued that the 1992 ruling that reservation should not exceed 50% should not be reconsidered and left to a wider bench. He argued that fifty per cent reservation was justice, even considering the issue of equality. The case will be heard on Tuesday as well.