On Thursday, August 1, the Supreme Court ruled that sub-classification within Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) is permissible, overturning the 2004 EV Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh verdict which had mandated treating SC/ST communities as homogeneous groups. The seven-judge constitution bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, delivered a 6:1 majority decision, allowing states to implement sub-classifications to allocate quotas to the most backward segments within these groups.
The ruling came as the court reviewed the constitutional validity of Section 4(5) of the Punjab Act. The central issue was whether SC/ST communities could be sub-classified or if they should be considered uniform entities. During the hearings, the Court debated whether children from more advantaged sub-groups within SC/ST communities should continue to benefit from reservations, given the economic disparities that allow the more privileged within these communities to disproportionately benefit from these policies, marginalizing the most disadvantaged.
The Union government supported the sub-classifications, emphasizing the need to provide additional reservation benefits to the most underprivileged members of SC/ST communities. The majority verdict highlighted that states must justify sub-classifications with “quantifiable and demonstrable data” rather than arbitrary decisions. Chief Justice Chandrachud, authoring the main judgment, was supported by Justice Misra, while Justice Trivedi dissented. Four other judges issued concurring judgments, illustrating the complex legal and social landscape of reservation policies.
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