On Thursday, August 1, the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark verdict, allowing states to sub-categorise Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to better uplift the most underprivileged groups within these categories. This decision has ignited a firestorm of debate on social media.
“A Dalit, Ambedkar, wrote the provisions of the reservations in the Constitution. He didn’t sub classify Dalits. But Mishra, Trivedi, Chandrachud, Sharma - A Brahmin majority bench decided that it’s constitutionally permissible to sub classify SC/ST without any factual basis,’ wrote Anubhav Singh (@lucifer_damned) on X (formerly Twitter).
According to LiveLaw, the necessity of excluding the "creamy layer" from the SC and ST categories for reservation benefits, a concept previously applied only to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
This ruling was delivered by a 6:1 majority from a seven-judge constitutional bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. The bench also included Justices Bela M Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Satish Chandra Mishra, Vikram Nath and BR Gavai. Justice Trivedi was the lone dissenter, arguing that the Presidential list of Scheduled Castes, as notified under Article 341, cannot be altered by the states.
The verdict has sparked significant controversy, with many taking to social media to express their discontent. It is seen by many as a double-edged sword, aiming to address inequalities within the marginalised groups but also risking further division among them. Here are a few prominent reactions:
@DoctorHussain96 tweeted, “#Reservation is never about economic growth it’s always about representation. If you understand this very basic concept then there is no need for 1000s of debate.”
“This is an attempt to divide us. The basis of discrimination cannot be poverty. 7 oppressor caste judges sit and make decisions, this is a betrayal against us. This fight will not end here,” @thewarriorpoet7 remarked.
@Dhruv_Rathee, a UPSC aspirant, commented, “Judges born from the collegium system have proved the British saying right. Divide and rule. If you have to make all the laws then why have you built a new parliament building. The classification of SC ST reservation will disintegrate Bahujan Samaj #Reservation #SupremeCourtOfIndia”
