Court Cases & Constitutional Amendments related to reservations in India

The basis of providing reservation is giving proportionate opportunities to the people of Scheduled Castes, Schedule Tribes and other backward classes. The reservation is intended to aggrandise the social diversity in campuses and workplaces. Reservation in our Country is known as ”Quota” system.

Article 15(1) of Indian Constitution lays down that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.

Lot of verdicts of our Indian Judiciary as to reservations have been modified subsequently by our parliament through Constitutional Amendments Acts. However, some rulings of our Courts have been scoffed by State and Central Governments. Some Judgments upheld the reservations and some rulings for fine turning its implementation regarding reservations. In this context, it is also appropriate to see observation of a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. ”While reservation is a political hot button, it is about societal endurance, ethics, and value issues. If it is a pure political solution then, unfortunately, premier institutions will probably lose the battle”.

Soon after the enforcement of the Constitution two cases reached this Court from the State of Madras – one under Article 15 and the other under Article 16. Both the cases were decided on the same date and by the same Bench. The one arising under Article 15 is State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan [1951] and the other arising under Article 16 is Venkataraman v. State of Madras ,1951.

State of Madras Vs. Smt. Champakam Dorairanjan, 1951

Court pronounced that caste based reservations as per Communal Award violates Article 15(1).

The Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951

(Art. 15 (4)) introduced to make judgement invalid.

Art. 15 (4): Nothing in this article or in Clause (2) of Article 29 shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

M R Balaji v Mysore 1963