On Tuesday, A Raja, Lok sabha MP and DMK demanded the central government formulate ‘Safety measures’ to protect the Dalit reservation system. Raja’s request comes in the wake of a Supreme Court observation that indicated that the benefits of the reservation policy should only be limited to the first generation. This has posed a concern on the part of Dalit people for fear of losing some of their liberties.
Raja stated that he was concerned about the comments made by the Supreme Court stating that they could unify specific policies of the reservation. He mentioned a particular case of an officer of the Indian Police Service in Haryana who was allegedly not allowed to ride a horse at marriage, stating the problems of discrimination that the Dalits face.
The Supreme Court said this while indicating the necessity for the identification of a “creamy layer” among SC & ST categories to eliminate them, if required, from the privileged benefits of reservation. On August 1, Justice BR Gavai agreed with the majority opinion of CJI DY Chandrachud, and four other judges said that the creamy layer within SCs and STs should not be given reservation quotas. The concessional rulings of this landmark judgement affect reservation policies to the extent that state governments can categorise subdivisions within SCs and STs.
The above-mentioned ruling enables the states to determine and extend appropriate benefits to the sub-groups of the SC/ST categories who are actually in dire need by the use of empirical evidence and rationality. It seeks to ensure that targeted beneficiaries within these communities are empowered and reach their potential, depending on the SC/ST population’s internal demography.
Raja’s request for safe measures of reservation implies that it is necessary to guard the reservation system as well as apprehend the effects of the system on the rights of Dalits. This is the continuity of the issues, namely concerning the control and balance of affirmative action on the one side as well as justification of resource distribution to the members of the discriminated groups on the other side.
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