Reservations and Beyond: Rethinking the Affirmative Actions in India

Abstract

Reservation policy in India is a part of a broader Affirmative actions policy taken for the upliftment of the marginalised sections of the population. It ensures equality, justice and trust and legitimacy in a society. The Constitution of India provides for a reservation to the Scheduled Castes (15%), Scheduled Tribes (7.5%), Other Backward Classes (27%) on the basis of historical injustice due to the caste-based discrimination and a newly added Economically Weaker Sections (10%) on the basis of economic disadvantages extended to people left out from the purview of the previous system of reservations. There have been heated debates around the validity of inclusion and exclusion of particular castes and communities based on parameters determined by the government, however, the Judiciary from time-to-time looks into the constitutional validity of reservation provisions.