Chennai, March 29 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was disappointed with the Supreme Court's stay Thursday on the fresh caste-based quota in higher education institutions.

"It is shocking," the DMK president told reporters here.

He warned that the DMK, part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre, would rope in its allies to decide on the next course of action on the matter.

The DMK's allies like the PMK also support the proposal to reserve 27 percent seats in higher education institutions for students from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Hearing a bunch of petitions, the apex court stayed the implementation of the law enacted to provide for the OBC quota on the basis of old census data.