A seven-judge Constitution Bench on Tuesday questioned why affluent sub-castes among backward classes should not be “excluded” from the reservation list and made to compete with the general category.
“Why should there be no exclusion [from the reservation list]? Some of these sub-castes have done better and gone forward. They should come out of reservation and compete with the general category… Why stay there?” asked Justice Vikram Nath, one of the seven judges on the Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.
Justice Nath said that these advanced sub-castes could exit the domain of reservation to make room for sub-castes who were relatively more marginalised or most backward. “The remaining sub-castes who are still backward, let them have reservation,” Justice Nath said.
