<br/> In an interim order, the Supreme Court has lifted the stay on four per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions provided to backward members of the Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh. <br/><br/>A three-Judge bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, however, referred the issue to a Constitutional bench to examine the validity of the impugned Act. The bench passed the direction while dealing with a Special Leave Petition filed by the government against an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which had earlier struck down the State Government provision as being unconstitutional.<br/><br/>As many as 14 Muslim groups identified as socially and educationally backward by the State Backward Commission will be eligible for the benefit.<br/>The government and a prominent Muslim political groups welcomed the Supreme Court's interim order. Law Minister Veerappa Moily said that it was a conscious decision of Andhra Pradesh government based on a scientific survey. He said the state government had provided reservation to the Muslims not on the basis of religion, but on the basis of backwardness.<br/><br/>Mr Assadduin Owaisi, leader of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen of Andhra Pradesh, said the lifting of stay by the apex court is a great thing for the Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh.<br/><br/>BJP Spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy, however, said that reservation based on religion could prove dangerous for democracy in the country.