A Legal Analysis of India's Reservation Policies and Their Constitutional Ramifications

Raunak Krishna Gupta; Dr Bhawna Arora

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i02.38242

A Legal Analysis of India's Reservation Policies and Their Constitutional Ramifications

Author(s)	Raunak Krishna Gupta, Dr Bhawna Arora
Country	India
Abstract	The reservation system in India that operates under the name of affirmative action serves as an essential mechanism to confront historical community disparities it targets Scheduled Castes (SC’s) Scheduled Tribes (ST’s) and Other Backward Classes (OBC’s). Under the provisions of the Constitution reservation policy established specific opportunities for these communities across educational pathways and job roles and governmental political positions. The execution of these reservation programs has triggered persistent legal fights throughout many years of implementation. The main difficulties emerging from reservation policies centre on social justice against equality principles together with debates about public administration efficiency and merit-based selection systems. This research analyses the constitutional struggles India experiences with affirmative action policies through detailed assessment of how the judiciary has applied Articles 14, 15, 16, and 46 to preserve equal rights while ensuring inclusion of disadvantaged groups. The paper delves into landmark cases such as “State of Madras v. Smt. Champakam Dorairajan” (1951), “Indra Sawhney v. Union of India” (1992), and “M. Nagaraj v. Union of India” (2006) fundamentally altered the legal system of reservations. This review analyses key affirmative action court decisions that address problems across caste reservation rules and maximum reservation limits as well as so-called creamy layer restrictions. Additionally, the paper engages with the social along with political implications of reservations while analysing their effects on meritocratic principles and political party strategies while tracking changes in reservation requirements. The 103rd Constitutional Amendment (2019) established 10% Economic Weaker Section (EWS) reservations while continuing an ongoing discussion about the legitimacy of allocating special percentages for different groups.
Keywords	Reservation System, Affirmative Action, India, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Constitution, Equality, Judiciary, Court Decisions, Social Justice, Merit-Based, Political Implications, 103rd Constitutional Amendment.
Field	Sociology > Administration / Law / Management
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 2, March-April 2025
Published On	2025-03-03
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i02.38242
Short DOI	https://doi.org/g86wn3

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A Legal Analysis of India's Reservation Policies and Their Constitutional Ramifications

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