North News
New Delhi, August 1
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Thursday decided that the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) is permissible for providing separate quotas for more disadvantaged groups within these categories. A seven-judge Bench of the Apex Court, in a majority judgment, overturned the E.V. Chinnaiah verdict, which had previously held that State Legislatures could not sub-classify SCs for reservations in education and public employment, according to media reports.
The Supreme Court observed that sub-classification does not violate Article 14 of the Constitution. The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud,stated that states could recognize varying degrees of discrimination or backwardness among SCs and provide greater benefits to the most disadvantaged sub-classes. This sub-classification does not infringe upon the President’s exclusive authority under Article 341 to identify Scheduled Castes. However, the power of states to sub-classify remains subject to judicial review, the news outlet The Hindu reported.
“The State’s power cannot be exercised arbitrarily; there should be empirical data to support such decisions,” the court emphasized. The seven-judge Bench also upheld the legislative competence of the Tamil Nadu Assembly to enact the Arunthathiyar Reservation Act, according to news outlet.
