Should Reservations Be In Place For Ever?
The India Commentary view
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-11-08 07:35:23
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The India Commentary view
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While
upholding the 103rd amendment to the Indian Constitution which provided
for 10% quotas in education and jobs for the economically weaker sections among
the general category of citizens with a split (3-2) verdict, two judges on the
bench advised the government to revisit the entire reservation scenario and do
away with quotas within a given time frame. This is welcome. What started as
affirmative action (which the framers of the Constitution wanted to run for
just 10 years) is now being treated as a life-long right.
No
affirmative action can go on indefinitely, as the Supreme Court rightly pointed
out. If it needs to run for an inordinately extended period of time it means
that something is wrong with the entire process and it is not achieving the
ends for which it was started. Caste-based affirmative action in India was
started to correct the historical injustice meted out to marginalized castes
who were treated as untouchables and left to fend for themselves. It was
necessary to include that vast mass of population in a free, democratic India
that promised inclusive development for all its citizens.
But the
results of 75 years of affirmative action are not along expected lines. There
still exists a huge mass of marginalized castes that have not benefitted from
quotas in jobs and education mainly because such quotas have been cornered by a
select and privileged class among them. Hence, in India, merit suffers just
because 10% of the backward classes who have the awareness, means and political
privilege to enjoy the benefits of reservation and who, in tandem with the
political class, manage to dupe the rest 90% into believing that they too enjoy
the same benefits, have hijacked the system. It is time for the government to revisit
the entire quota system and make the necessary corrections to ensure that the
benefits percolate to the lowest level. A time limit must also be set to do away with the quota system.
