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.
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.
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.
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.
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