NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has ruled that there could be no quota for SC and ST employees for top posts in public sector banks but reservation for them was permissible in posts from scale-I till scale-VI.A bench of Justice J Chelameswar and Justice A K Sikri held that though there was no provision for reservation in promotions in banks for officers from scale-I onwards but an office memorandum was issued by Department of Public Enterprises in November 2004 permitting quota up to scale-VI.The bench inferred that “the policy of no reservation in the matter of promotion is applicable only from scaleVII and above. It, therefore, clearly follows that in so far as promotion from scale-I to scale-II, scale-II to scale-III, scale-III to scale-IV , scale-IV to scale-V , scale-V to scale-VI are concerned, reservation is to be provided“.The bench said: “It is clarified that at present there is no provision for reservation in promotion by selection only in respect of those posts which carry an ultimate salary of 5,700 per month (revised to 18,300 and 20,800 per month in respect of those public sector undertakings following IDA pattern). Qua (with regard to) appellant banks, that would be in respect of scaleVII and above. Therefore, to carry out promotions from scale-I upwards up to scaleVI, reservation in promotion in favour of SCST employees has to be given.“The court passed the order on a bunch of appeals filed by banks challenging an order by the Madras high court directing them to provide reservation on the ground that there is no adequate representation of SC ST category officers in groupIV and above.The apex court held that the high court in its 2009 verdict has gone by the lofty ideals enshrined in Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution as well as the fact that in these banks there is no adequate representation of SCST category of officers in group-IV and above. “That may be so. It can only provide justification for making a provision of this nature. However, in the absence of such a provision, same cannot be read by overstretching the language of office memorandum dated August 13, 1997,“ it said.Clarifying its verdict, the bench said, it would have the effect of allowing the writ petitions with directions to the appellant banks to make provision for reservations while carrying out promotions from scale-I to scale-II and upward upto scale-VI.