New Delhi, May 7: The Union government on Tuesday defended in the Delhi HC its decision to provide reservation to OBC candidates in IIMs and other central educational institutions at the post graduate level.

Appearing before a bench headed by Justice T S Thakur, additional solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam contended that the recent Constitution bench judgment of the Supreme Court gave a clear green signal to the government to provide reservation in higher educational institutions and there was no confusion on this.

"The matter stands concluded and the contentions raised by anti-quota activists that the benefit of reservation cannot be provided to a candidate after passing graduation is wrong," Subramaniam said while opposing a petition filed by an IIM alumni association.

"The operational part of the judgment does not mention about the exclusion of reservation to be graduate," the ASG argued while seeking dismissal of the petition, saying it wasn't maintainable.

Last week, an alumni association of IIMs had approached the HC seeking to restrain the Centre from providing quota for OBC students in higher educational institutions including in IIMs.