International Journal on Science and Technology

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Reservation Policy in India: A Critical Analysis of Social Justice and Political Representation

Author(s) Dr. Kyasaram Kishtaiah
Country India
Abstract Reservation, the constitutional practice of setting aside seats, posts and legislative constituencies for historically disadvantaged groups, remains India's most ambitious and most contested instrument of social justice. This paper critically examines the policy's normative foundations, constitutional evolution, judicial regulation and measurable outcomes in education, public employment and political representation. Drawing on constitutional provisions, landmark judgments and official datasets, including the All India Survey on Higher Education 2022–23, the Department of Personnel and Training's Annual Report 2024–25 and the Bihar caste survey of 2023, the analysis shows that reservation has widened entry-level access substantially: Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe enrolment now approaches population shares, and reserved constituencies deliver stable descriptive representation. However, representation thins at senior levels, in faculty ranks and in the unreserved private economy, while intra-group inequality, unfilled reserved posts and a persistent data deficit weaken the policy's redistributive and integrative claims. Recent developments, namely the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes, the 2026 reformulation of the creamy-layer test, the Economically Weaker Sections quota and the decision to enumerate caste in Census 2027, are reshaping the debate. The paper argues for evidence-based recalibration rather than abolition or mere expansion, anchored in transparent data, effective monitoring and sustained investment in foundational education.

 
Keywords reservation policy; social justice; political representation; caste; affirmative action; creamy layer; Scheduled Castes; India
Published In Volume 17, Issue 3, July-September 2026
Published On 2026-07-11
DOI https://doi.org/10.71097/IJSAT.v17.i3.11584
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Crossref DOI prefix of IJSAT is 10.71097/IJSAT

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