The Insider Speaks

The judgment has finally arrived. A long fought issue of reserving 27% of seats to the Other Backward Castes (OBC’S) is finally resolved, not in tranquility but. The apex court has upheld the decision by the central government.

So the total quota in academic institutes’ finally sums upto close to 50%, 22.5% already kept aside for the SC/ST. The deprived people(forward castes) have long forgotten the previously set aside quota and have learnt to live with the pain. So an aspirant from this community now has to pull a fight over the available 50% of the seats. The supreme court judgment however has a clause that the “Creamy Layer” from the OBC’s would not be eligible for admissions under the quota. The apex court has coined a new term “Creamy Layer” and held the economic and social conditions the judging factors as in who falls into this. If the economic conditions did mean a concern to the governments and the courts, why not give quota to economically and socially oppressed from the forward communities?

Afterall, reservations are not all bad. India is a gigantic country and development has not been uniform. True there are many socially oppressed sections. Lack of resources and opportunities are a deep hindrance to getting quality education. The talented and the abled from the communities have to be supported and education is the best means of doing it. Until then no negatives.

But how have they come to the figure 27% ? Is it just because there exists a constitutional clause that reservations have not to exceed 50% in total and 22.5% is already reserved? As such the government still doesn’t hold a clear idea as on what is the population of the OBC’s. Mandal puts it at 52 per cent, the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) at 32 per cent, the National Family and Health Survey at 29.8 per cent. How can there exist a wide variation in the figures, all three quoted being government operated. It would be fun quoting the HRD minister Mr.Arjun Singh in this regard, “I think that should be decided by people who are more knowledgeable“. If the government doesn’t seem knowledgeable and committed to establishing figures, who else is? Arrival at the number 27 has not been justified and a democratic government holds a responsibility to clarify to the nation.
And back to the “Creamy Layer” term. If the apex court feels that it is quiet feasible to categorise who is “Creamy” and who is not among the OBC’s, why can’t they do it to the forward communities? Does it want to potray that all of these people are financially well sustained and stable or Are the agencies so incapable to categorise? If the landmark judgement(as termed by UPA) is the victory of social justice, is this deprived section not eligible for justice?

There are many questions left unanswered and for the UPA, the judgement comes as an election gift as it is going to face polls in 6 states later in the year and probably mid terms to the lower house.