ALIGARH MUSLIM

UNIVERSITY
MALAPPURAM CENTRE

GCT-2

TOPIC – RESERVATION
POLICY IN INDIA
SOCIOLOGY

SUBMITTED TO SUBMITTED BY
DR. FAISAL KP ANKUR SINGH
DIRECTOR AMUMC 18BALLB041
INTRODUCTION
India is a diverse country and from very ancient period Indian society is divided on
the basis of caste, religion, gender etc so in order to improve the condition of these
socialy, economically and financially backward caste and community reservation
policy was introduced in India. In India certain percentage of seat is reserved for the
scheduled castes, other backward castes, minorities, scheduled tribes etc in
government jobs and government institutions. The reservation cannot exceed 50 %
of the total seats

In ancient period the Indian society was basically divided on the basis of the caste
such as bhraman, kshatriya, vaisyas, shudras due to the arrangement of the society
in this way the condition of these group became poor So in order to improve the
condition the situation of these groups reservation was indeed. Reservation had a
brief history in the Indian society and it was first legally came into existence with
the government of India act 1919. The situation of SC and ST was very poor from
the ancient period. These groups of the society are very much underprivileged. They
are socially discriminated by the upper section of the society on the basis of their
caste. These group had to work as a servant of the upper section of the society and
they have to do all the work in order to get food, cloths, home etc.

RESERVATION IN PRE-
INDEPENDENCE INDIA
The government of India act , 1919 had marked the origin of reservation policy in
india the act came during the the period of World War I. During this period, the
British government had a eye on Europe rather than on India yet they passed much
important and significant legislation that aimed at the development of the Indian
Territory. This Act of 1919 not only introduced several reforms for the Indian

2
Governmental institutions but also addressed many issues of minorities including
the formation of communal electorates. Though the system was criticized firmly by
Montague-Chelmsford as a system that could be a hindrance to the self-development
policy but because Muslims already had a communal electorate through the Minto-
Morley reform of 1909 and therefore they found it unfeasible to take away the
separate electorates of Muslims.

After the Act of 1919, the Simon Commission came up which was under many
controversy in 1927 to examine the Montague- Chelmsford reforms. After roaming
the whole Indian provinces, their representatives said for combining separate
electorates and reserving seats for lower classes and demand for the franchise was
there as the economic, educational and social position of these lower classes did not
allow them to vote properly. To stamp and examine the report of Simon
Commission and the reforms proposed by them and how to incorporate them into
new Constitution, a Round Table Conference was held in London in 1931. There
were many Indian people from various interests groups. The conference was chaired
by Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald. There were appeals for separate electorate
from B.R Ambedkar but Mahatma Gandhi strongly opposed the appeal for separate
electorate for backward classes and because of this strong opposition from Mahatma
Gandhi and Congress the issue of minority remained unresolved in the
Conference.After this the Communal Award and the Poona Pact of 1932 came into
force wherein the Prime Minister Macdonald announced the communal award where
the separate representations were to be provided to Muslims, Sikhs, Indian
Christians, Anglo- Indians, Europeans and Dalits Depressed classes’ were assigned
a number of seats that were to be filled by election from special constituencies in
which voters belonging to the depressed classes could only vote

This award had brought in criticism from Mahatma Gandhi but was strongly backed
by Dr. BR Ambedkar and other minority groups. As a result of the hunger strike by
Mahatma Gandhi and widespread revolt against the award, the Poona Pact of 1932

3
came into being which had brought in a single general electorate for each of the
seats of British India and new Central Legislatures. The stamping of the provisions
of Poona Pact, 1932 were done in The Government of India Act of 1935 where
reservation of seats for depressed classes was allotted. This was the scenario before
the independence of India.

POST- INDEPENDENCE
PERIOD
The scenerio of the reservation policy was changed after the independence in India.
The reservation policy after the India got freedom from the British rule was
constructed by Dr. BR Ambedkar the person who is the head of the drafting
committee of Indian Constitution. The reservation was provided to the backward
classes of the India the aim was to improve the condition of these group in India.
The caste system of India is the main reason for the origination of the reservation
system in the Country.The aim of the reservation is to provide some reserve seats
in government jobs, government institutions etc. These sections of society had
faced a lot of discrimination on grounds for their caste.In India reservation policy
is backed by the Indian Constitution.

CONSTITUTIONAL
PROVISIONS FOR
RESERVATION IN INDIA
 Part XVI  of the Indian Constitution deals with reservation of SC and ST in
Central and State Legislatures.The reservation is provided in government
jobs and government institutions belongs to central and state governments
4
  Article5(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution allows the State and Central
Governments to fix some seats in government services for the people
belonging to schedule case and schedule tribe
 The Constitution was amended by the Constitution 77th Amendment
Act, 1995 and a new clause (4A) was inserted in Article 16 to allow the
government to provide reservation in promotion. After this amendment act
people belonging to backward classes also had reservations in government
jobs
 After some time clause (4A) was modified by the Constitution
85th Amendment Act, 2001 to give consequential seniority to SC and ST
candidates promoted by giving reservation.

 Constitutional 81st Amendment Act, 2000 had given a new Article 16 (4

B) which allows the state to fill the unfilled vacancies of a year which are
reserved for SCs/STs in the next year, this article nullify the 50%
reservation policy is it add the vacancies to the next year

 Article 330 and 332 provides for specific representation through reservation

of seats for SCs and STs in the Parliament and in the State Legislative
Assemblies respectively.basically these two articles aim to reserve seats for
sc and St in Parliament and state legislative assembly
 Article 243D of the Indian Constitution provides the reservation of seats of
SC and ST in every Panchayat. The aim behind the reservation is to improve
the condition of these group in villages
 Article 233T  of the Indian Constitution talks about the reservation of
scheduled tribe and scheduled caste in every Municipality
 Article 335 of the constitution provides that the claims of Sc and STs shall be
taken into consideration constituently with the maintenance of efficacy of the
administration.

NEED OF RESERVATION

5
  To improve the historical injustice done with these backward classes of the
Indian society

 To bring these socialy backward groups in level with the upper classes so they
can compete with these section. The aim is to make them equal to these
section

 To make the presence of backward classes adequate in government services

 For advancement of backward classes and To ensure equality of these

backward groups with society as basis of meritocracy that is all people must
be brought to the same level before judging them on the basis of merit.

DRAWBACKS OF
RESERVATION
 Reservation in state services led to enmity between the employer and it also
lead to discrimination

 Caste based reservation policy also reason for the division of the society on
the basis of caste as it lead to a feeling of jealousy in people belonging to
different caste

6
  Reservation was Inforced to improve the condition of the backward groups as
they were underprivileged but still there situation had not improved

 Reservation destroys self-respect, the reason behind this is as it finds who is

the backward not who is the best
 Political party also take great benefit of reservation as they can easily play
their caste card in the front of these groups during the elections

CONCLUSION
Reservation policy in india was introduced for the uplift ment of the weaker section
of the Indian society as the situation of these groups was not so good from the very
ancient period. These groups had faced a lot of discrimination from the people of
higher caste nad these groups had worked as a servants of these higher section of the
society. Basically these group had to work in the agricultural field as well in cattle
farm of the high caste people in order to get food clothes so the situation of these
groups was very bad so after the independence many constitutional article made
related to reservations in order to provide these groups reservation in government
jobs and government institutions. The aim of reservation was only to bring these
groups equal to the higher section of the society and to improve their condition.