Supreme Court Refuses To Entertain Plea Seeking Time-Limit On Caste-Based Reservations In Education

The petition, filed by Dr. Subhash Vijayran who is also an MBBS doctor, argued that in reservation, a seat of a more meritorious candidate is given to a less meritorious one, which stagnates the progress of the nation. According to the petitioner, if the candidate is made capable to compete in the open instead not only will he be empowered, but also the nation will progress.

The plea submitted that, as compared to the pre- reservation era when people strove to gain the forward tag, today people fight and spill blood for the backward tag.

"Now, we have well off doctors, lawyers, engineers, who flaunt their backward tag to gain admissions in PG courses via reservations. Even the Institutions of National Importance (INIs) like AIIMS, NLUs, IITs, IIMs, etc. are not spared. Every year 50% of their very scarce seats are sacrificed on the altar of reservations. For how long will this continue?", the plea stated.

The Petitioner had also cited Supreme Court's judgement in the Ashok Kumar Thakur case, stating that majority of the Judges were of the view that review as to the need for continuance of reservation in education should be made at the end of 5 years. However, even 13 years after the Judgment, no such review has been done till date, and if it is left to the government, no such review would ever be done.