The Centre has strongly pleaded before the Supreme Court for reservation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in promotion in government jobs. Attorney General KK Venugopal told a five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, yesterday that SCs and STs must account for 22.5 per cent in job promotion or the real motive for reservations will get defeated. He said reservations were given to SCs and STs to correct a wrong as they had suffered for more than 1,000 years.<br />'' <br />''The bench is examining whether its 12-year-old verdict that had dealt with the issue of 'creamy layer' for reservations to SC and ST categories in government job promotions needs to be re-visited by a seven-judge bench.<br />'' <br />''The Attorney General told the court that the M Nagaraj verdict of 2006 has virtually stopped the promotions by putting criteria like backwardness, inadequate representation and overall administrative efficiency, and it requires reconsideration by a larger bench.<br />'' <br />''The bench said, according to the 2006 verdict, accelerated promotion to SCs and STs can only be given by the state, if they are inadequately represented and it is necessary for the overall efficiency of administration. It asked the Centre as to why states have not come forward with any quantifiable data to decide the inadequacy of representation.<br />'' <br />''Mr Venugopal said, SCs and STs are presumed as backwards and there was no need to have a quantifiable data to prove that such categories of employees suffered from backwardness.The hearing remained inconclusive and would continue on the 16th of this month.<br />''<br />