'reservation Has Become Like...': Sc Judge Says Only Few Groups Benefitting, Govt Must Identify More Backward Classes

Caste-based preservation successful India has go for illustration a train compartment wherever those wrong are unwilling to fto others in, Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant said connected Tuesday. "Reservation successful nan state has go for illustration train compartments—people who person sewage successful don't want to fto others travel in," Justice Kant was quoted arsenic saying by NDTV. Kant's study came during a proceeding connected preservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) successful Maharashtra’s section assemblage elections.

The judge, who is adjacent successful statement to go Chief Justice of India, added, "This is nan rule of inclusivity. Governments are duty-bound to place much classes. There are politically, economically and socially deprived people. Why should they not get nan use (of reservation)? Only a fewer families and groups are getting nan benefit."

The proceeding pertains to a prolonged hold successful section assemblage polls successful Maharashtra, past conducted successful 2016–2017. A awesome origin has been nan ineligible conflict complete OBC reservation. In 2021, nan Supreme Court struck down a Maharashtra authorities ordinance proposing 27% quota for OBCs and outlined a three-part trial for implementing specified reservations.

These include: Constitution of a dedicated committee to behaviour a contemporaneous, empirical study of backwardness successful section bodies, specification of nan proportionality of preservation for each section assemblage based connected nan commission’s recommendations, ensuring full preservation for SCs/STs/OBCs does not transcend 50%.

Senior advocator Indira Jaising, appearing for nan petitioner, based on that contempt recognition of OBCs during delimitation, nan authorities had not utilized this information to proceed pinch section elections. She besides said that section bodies were being tally by unelected officials.

Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, besides representing a petitioner, submitted that wrong nan OBC category, location is simply a request to separate betwixt politically and socially backward groups.

Justice Surya Kant past said that preservation had go for illustration train compartments, "people who person sewage successful don't want to fto others travel in". 

Earlier, Justice BR Gavai had utilized this train compartment affinity successful his judgement that said nan sub-classification of SC/ST categories is permissible and states tin create these sub-classifications.

"I find that nan cognition of nan categories successful nan Presidential List opposing specified a sub-classification is that of a personification successful nan wide compartment of nan train. Firstly, nan persons extracurricular nan compartment struggled to get into nan wide compartment. However, erstwhile they get wrong it, they make each effort imaginable to forestall nan persons extracurricular specified a compartment from entering it," Justice Gavai said.

Justice Gavai is group to return oath arsenic 52nd Chief Justice of India connected May 14. 

Published on: May 6, 2025 2:02 PM IST