Supreme Court To Hear Plea For ‘Income-Based’ Priority In SC/ST Quota, Warns Of “Far-Reaching Implications”
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The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a PIL seeking income-based prioritisation within SC/ST reservations to benefit the poorest. The bench cautioned the petitioners to prepare for strong opposition.
New Delhi: On August 11, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) that seeks changes in the reservation system for government jobs, with a focus on giving priority to the poorest people within the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued a notice to the Central Government and asked it to file its reply by October 10.
While hearing the matter, the bench warned the petitioner’s lawyer that they should be ready for strong resistance from various sides, saying the issue could have “far-reaching implications.”
The PIL has been filed by Ramashankar Prajapati and Yamuna Prasad through advocate Sandeep Singh. It argues that even after decades of reservations, most of the benefits have gone to the relatively well-off people within the SC and ST communities, while the poorest sections have not been able to access these opportunities.
The plea states that
“the petitioners, who themselves belong to Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Classes categories, seek to highlight economic disparities within these communities which have resulted in an inequitable distribution of benefits.”
According to the petition, the current caste-based reservation system was originally meant to help historically disadvantaged groups, but now it risks creating inequality inside these communities.
The petition says that introducing an income-based priority system within the SC/ST quota will match better with the constitutional values of equality under Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Indian Constitution.
The plea makes it clear that the aim is not to remove caste-based reservations but to improve them so that help reaches those who truly need it.
It states that this approach will ensure that opportunities are available to those “who genuinely require state support.”
The petition further argues that in the last 75 years, reservations have mainly benefited a small section within the reserved categories, leading to economic inequality inside the communities and stopping the overall progress of all members.
The Supreme Court will hear the matter again after the Central Government submits its reply.
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