Quota for SCs/STs: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has strongly opposed any move to apply the creamy layer criteria to reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). His comments come in the context of a historic Supreme Court verdict on sub-classifications within these communities for broader quota benefits.
However, Athawale, who leads the Republican Party of India (Athawale), acknowledged that the Supreme Court's decision to allow states to sub-classify SCs/STs will ensure justice for the castes that are more backward within these groups.
Ramdas Athawale on quota for SCs/STs
The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment also demanded similar sub-classifications for OBCs and general category members. "The reservation for SCs/STs is based on caste. The RPI (A) will strongly oppose any move to apply the criteria of creamy layer to reservation for SCs and STs," Athawale, whose party is a constituent of the BJP-led NDA, said.
Athawale said that there are 1,200 Scheduled Castes in the country, with 59 in Maharashtra. He suggested that, following the Supreme Court's judgment, the Maharashtra government should establish a commission to study Scheduled Castes and sub-classify them into A, B, C, and D categories.
The Union Minister maintained that this move would ensure justice for all castes within the SC category.
Sub-classification in SCs, STs for quotas
In a landmark ruling on Thursday, the Supreme Court gave its nod to the sub-classification within Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories, allowing for a more nuanced allocation of reservation benefits in jobs and education. This decision aims to address the disparities within these historically marginalised communities by ensuring that the most disadvantaged groups receive a fair share of the benefits.
The landmark verdict was passed by the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud by a 6:1 majority, with Justice Bela Trivedi dissenting. Six separate judgments were written. The verdict overrules the 2004 judgment of a five-judge Constitution bench in the case of EV Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh.
The Supreme Court's 7-judge Constitution Bench has, by a majority decision, ruled that state governments can create sub-categories within Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to allocate greater reservation benefits to certain categories. This bench overturned a 2004 judgment by a 5-judge bench in the EV Chinnaiah case, which had held that sub-categorization within SC/ST communities was not permissible.
According to the Constitution, the population is broadly divided into four categories based on caste: General, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs). With this new Supreme Court ruling, it will now be possible to create further sub-categories within SCs and STs. Subsequently, state governments will be able to grant greater reservation benefits to specific sub-groups within these communities.
(With PTI inputs)
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