Supreme Court: States Authorized To Create Sub-Categories Within SC And ST Quotas

On Thursday, a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that sub-classification within the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) is permissible. This decision overturns the 2004 ruling in EV Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh, where a five-judge bench had stated that sub-classification was not allowed, arguing that SC/STs constitute homogenous classes.

The Union government expressed support for sub-classifications within SCs and STs.

The Supreme Court was examining the constitutional validity of Section 4(5) of the Punjab Act, which hinges on whether sub-classifications can be created within the Scheduled Castes or Tribes or if they must be treated as homogenous groups.

A key issue was whether it is permissible to allocate further reservations to the weakest members of these communities, especially when the benefits of reservation have not sufficiently reached the most disadvantaged. The court highlighted disparities where economically stable groups within SC/ST communities have largely benefited from reservations, leaving the weakest segments marginalized.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.