policy of reservations of seats
Answers
Reservation Policy in India is a process of reserving certain percentage of seats (maximum 50%) for a certain class such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward classes, etc. in Government educational institutions, government jobs, etc. The reservation policy is an age old policy being practiced in India
Explanation:
Reservation Policy in India is a process of reserving certain percentage of seats (maximum 50%) for a certain class such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward classes, etc. in Government educational institutions, government jobs, etc.
The reservation policy is an age old policy being practiced in India. Its origin has its roots scattered from the ancient times when the practice of ‘untouchability’, caste system and Varna system was dominant in the society. In ancient times, the Hindu society was divided on the basis of Varna, Jatis or classes and they were as follows in the descending order of their social hierarchy- the Brahmans, the Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas and the Shudras. There was another class of people or rather no class people known as “untouchables” or “avarna” that is who has no class. These untouchables were considered to be impure for society and were excluded from the social system. They had to reside outside the village and had no social rights. In some parts of the country such as Southern India, if even their shadow was casted on the upper-class people then it was considered that the person has got impure. There were strict restrictions on them for social gatherings and social life and if they violated any social norm, they were severely punished and in some cases were even killed. The division of society on the norms of purity and impurity was a very cruel system, and it had adverse effects on the development and growth of these lower class people where the skill and labor of an individual were recognized merely on the ground of him being a member of a lower caste. The epics like Mahabharata also quote of many instances wherein a warrior like Karna was not allowed to showcase his talent merely on the ground of him being a Shudra. He was often referred to as ‘Shudra Putra’ and humiliated because of his caste. The then prevalent caste system was a major reason for the advent and advancement of the Reservation Policy in India. The idea of giving reservations to a certain class of people originated because of the prevalent atrocities being done on the certain class of people. To give them an equal opportunity, an equal status in society, to uplift them socially, to bring them at par with other sections of society and moreover to bring development in the lower strata of society, were the reasons for the adoption of Reservation Policy in India.
So let us have a look at the various aspects of Reservation Policy in India.
Reservation Policy in Pre- Independence Era
The legal origin of Reservation Policy in India began with lying down of the Government of India Act, 1919 which came during the turbulent period of World War I. During this period, the British were more focussed on Europe rather than on India yet they passed much important and significant legislation that aimed at the development of the Indian Territory. This Act of 1919 not only introduced several reforms for the Indian Governmental institutions but also addressed many issues of minorities including the formation of communal electorates. Though the system was criticiz mly by Montague-Chelmsford as a system that could be a hindrance to the self-development policy but because Muslims already had a communal electorate through the Minto- Morley reform of 1909 and, therefore, they found it unfeasible to take away the separate electorates of Muslims.
After the Act of 1919, the controversial Simon Commission came up in 1927 to scrutinize the Montague- Chelmsford reforms. After touring the entire Indian provinces, their representatives proposed for combining separate electorates and reserving seats for depressed classes and demand for the wider franchise was there as the economic, educational and social position of these depressed classes did not allow them to vote properly. To stamp and scrutinize the report of Simon Commission and the reforms proposed by them and how to incorporate them into new Constitution, a Round Table Conference was convened in London in 1931. There were many Indian delegates from various interests groups. The conference was chaired by Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald. There were appeals for separate electorate from B.R Ambedkar but Mahatma Gandhi strongly opposed the appeal for separate electorate for depressed classes and because of this strong opposition from Mahatma Gandhi and Congress the issue of minority remained unresolved matter