As the admission for the undergraduate courses for the 2021-22 academic year is progressing, students from the Anglo-Indian community still cannot claim educational reservations in arts and science colleges. “Though the community is listed under the state and central Other Backward Classes (OBC), the reservation clause followed in arts and science colleges is for Latin Catholics and other than Anglo-Indians among Latin Catholics,” said Charles Dias, who represented the Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha as a nominated member from Kerala.
“Several petitions and memorandums were submitted to the government seeking attention to resolve it, no action has been taken so far,” said the former MP. Earlier, the Anglo-Indian community had a special reservation. In 2014, the government order of the Backward Classes Development (A) Department clubbed Latin Catholic and Anglo-Indian communities and increased the educational reservation from two per cent to three per cent.
But the order only increased the reservation in professional colleges, vocational higher secondary schools and higher secondary schools, explained Charles. “The order did not state anything about arts and science colleges” he added. The reservation clause, ‘Latin-Catholics other than Anglo-Indians’, in my opinion, is against the basic principles of our Constitution, as it says under Article 15(1) that ‘The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them’,” said Antony Nilton Remelo, former education convenor, Anglo-Indian Youth Movement.
“The Anglo-Indians are probably the only community in Kerala without reservation even after the introduction of the Economically Weaker Sections reservation,” he said. The reservation clause followed in different courses is Latin Catholics and Anglo-Indians in professional courses (UG courses), Latin Catholics other than Anglo-Indians in arts and science courses (both UG and PG) and Latin Catholics other than Anglo-Indians in PG professional courses.
