Does data justify subdivision of quotas?
Context:
Recently, the Supreme court’s decision on bringing ‘quota-within-quota’ approach to ensure equitable opportunities among SC subgroups has created a debate about the effectiveness of such subdivision. The article discusses the dimensions of India’s reservation system and the path forward.
Relevance:
GS-02 (Polity)
Background:
- India has been periodically bringing policies towards uplifting marginalised communities like Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) through providing access to education, government jobs, and public offices.
- The Supreme Court on August 1st, 2024, passed this landmark judgement, stating that states are constitutionally empowered to make these sub-classifications.
- The Karnataka Government also recently approved the implementation of internal reservations among the Scheduled Castes (SCs).
Dimensions of the Article
- Purpose and Origins of India’s Reservation System
- Constitutional Provisions Governing Reservations in India
- Case Studies Across Indian States: Successes and Limitations of Subdividing Quotas
- Challenges in Realising Reservation Benefits
Purpose and Origins of India’s Reservation System
- The concept of reservation system was developed from the prevailing age-old caste system in India.
- In the year 1882, it was William Hunter and Jyotirao Phule who conceived the idea of Caste-based reservation system.
- The present form of reservation system was introduced in 1933 when British Prime-Minister Ramsay Macdonald presented the ‘Communal Award’.
- Reservation in simple terms is a tool for achieving social justice, dismantling caste-based inequalities, and bridging the gap between SCs, STs, and upper castes by providing reserved seats in educational institutions, government jobs, and public offices.
Constitutional Provisions Governing Reservation in India
- Part XVI of the Indian Constitution deals with reservation of SC and ST in Central and State legislatures.
- Articles 15(4) and 16(4) empower the state and central governments to reserve seats in government services for the members of the SC and ST.
- 77th Amendment Act, 1995: It added a new clause (4A) and was inserted in Article 16 to enable the government to provide reservation in promotion. Further, it was modified by enacting the 85th Amendment Act, 2001, to provide consequential seniority to SC and ST candidates promoted by giving reservations.
- 81st Amendment Act, 2000: It inserted Article 16 (4 B), which enables the state to fill the unfilled vacancies of a year which are reserved for SCs/STs in the succeeding year, thereby nullifying the ceiling of fifty percent reservation on total number of vacancies of that year.
- Articles 330 and 332 mandate reserved seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies, respectively.
- Article 243D ensures reserved seats for SCs and STs in every Panchayat.
- Article 233T guarantees seat reservations for SCs and STs in every Municipality.
- Article 335 states that the interests of SCs and STs should be taken into account while maintaining administrative efficiency.
Case Studies Across Indian States: Successes and Limitations of Subdividing Quotas
- In Punjab, where SC reservations have been subdivided since 1975, the policy has reportedly helped marginalised SC subgroups, like Mazhabi Sikhs and Balmikis, progress towards socio-economic equality with more advantaged groups.
- In contrast, Bihar’s subdivision experiment, which created a “Mahadalit” category to focus on the most disadvantaged SC groups, eventually lost focus as political pressure led to the inclusion of all SCs, diluting its effectiveness.
- However, few states (Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh) have seen relatively balanced outcomes within the SC communities without subdividing quotas. This, in a way, also suggests that subdivision is not necessary everywhere.
- States like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have found relatively balanced outcomes within SC groups without subdividing quotas, suggesting that subdivision isn’t necessary everywhere.
Challenges in Realising Reservation Benefits
- Not every household keeps their caste certificates with them. For instance, in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, less than 50% of SC households have the caste certificates required to benefit from reservations.
- Delayed census data has also made it difficult to design policies that reflect the real needs of such communities. Policymakers lack up-to-date insights into caste-based disparities, which hinders the effectiveness of reforms.
Way forward:
As long as reservations aim to provide positive discrimination for the benefit of the downtrodden and economically backward sections of society, they should be welcomed with open hands. But when it tends to harm society and ensures privileges to some at the cost of others for narrow political ends, it should be done away with as soon as possible.
