Cauldron of Dalit politics boiling after SC judgment

The ruling on sub-classification within SCs and STs has sparked sharp reactions from several political parties and activists alike, reports ARCHIS MOHAN

-  ARCHIS MOHAN

The 6:1 Supreme Court verdict on August 1, which ruled that sub-classification within Scheduled Castes (SCS) and Scheduled Tribes (STS) is permissible, has roiled India's political landscape. While some political leaders and parties have welcomed the decision, others have criticised it, and activist groups among Dalits are preparing to seek a review of the judgment in the apex court.

Academics predict a significant shift in Dalit politics, with new social mobilisations by numerically smaller castes within the SCs against dominant communities, such as Jatavs and Pasis in Uttar Pradesh, Mahars in Maharashtra, Malas in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and Mazhabi Sikhs and Jatavas in Punjab.

There are concerns that introducing a "creamy layer" within SC and ST quotas might lead to unfilled vacancies due to a lack of suitable candidates, eventually being filled by general category candidates.

At a press conference in Lucknow on Sunday, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national president, Mayawati, echoed the dissenting order by Justice Bela M Trivedi, arguing that the verdict contravened Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution. She emphasised that only the President, not states as Supreme Court's seven-judge bench has ruled, is empowered to classify castes, races, and tribal communities as SCs and STs.

Mayawati said that SCs were a homogeneous group, as reservations were based on untouchability, not educational or economic weakness.