Leaving no room for ambiguity, the court said its order staying the quota is ``final''.

The order, influenced chiefly by the Centre's insistence to keep the ``privileged'' among the OBCs within the purview of the quota, clears the way for the IIMs to start the admission process which they had to put on hold at the Centre's instance. The court has scheduled the hearing of the case for August by when the admission process in other Central educational institutions too would be getting over.

The hearing saw solicitorgeneral G E Vahanvati seeking to strike an emotive note to persuade the court to allow the quota to be rolled out from the coming academic session, saying that the stay would deprive socially and educationally backward castes their legitimate share for the 57th year and could also cause serious disappointment among a large section of OBC students.

The court, however, remained unmoved. It said if there is no proper data and the government has made them wait 56 years, it can wait one more year by which time the apex court would determine the validity of the reservation law.

The Centre, particularly the HRD ministry which pressed for the introduction of quota from the coming academic session, is terribly discomfited by the development. But while yet another round of consultation with parties, and a passionate debate reaffirming constitutional commitment to social justice and decrying judicial ``overreach'' in the coming session of Parliament, look a certainty, the Centre has been hard put to think of ways to get the Supreme Court relax its freeze.

Final Order

• Supreme Court turns down Centre's plea to lift freeze on OBC quota this year. Says its stay order is final
  
• The order is influenced by Centre's insistence on keeping `creamy layer' among OBCs in quota ambit.
  
• `You cannot begin the game without framing the rules,' Bench tells Centre. It says OBC quota can wait a year, by when the apex court would determine the validity of the reservation law.
  
• Court schedules the next hearing of the case for August. By then, admission process in most Central institutions will be over.