In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court of India announced that further sub-classifications within the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) quotas are permissible.
The Supreme Court also empowered state governments to make these sub-classifications.
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The latest verdict officially overrules the 2004 judgment in the EV Chinnaiah case, which held that sub-classification within SC and ST categories was not permissible as these groups were considered homogenous classes.
The Supreme Court observed that the SCs are not a homogenous group and that state governments can better subclassify them to represent marginalized communities within the SC and ST quotas.
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Additionally, the court mandated that states must identify the “creamy layer” within SC and ST categories and exclude them from reservations.
The Chief Justice also pointed out that members of SC/ST categories often struggle to advance due to systemic discrimination, and Article 14 of the Indian Constitution permits the sub-classification of castes. The CJI emphasized that historical evidence shows that the depressed classes were not a homogenous group.
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A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Satish C Sharma delivered the verdict, while Justice Bela M Trivedi dissented.
