Indian Polity
Removal of Anglo-Indians Reservation in Legislative Bodies
- 06 Dec 2019
- 2 min read
Why in News
Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the removal of reservation for Anglo-Indians in legislative bodies.
- Anglo-Indians were provided two nominated seats in the Lok Sabha and one nominated seat in the State Legislative Assemblies to ensure adequate representation of the community in elected legislative bodies.
- Anglo-Indians constitute a religious, social, as well as a linguistic minority. Being numerically an extremely small community, and being interspersed all over India, the Anglo-Indians were provided reservations in legislative bodies.
- The reservation for the Anglo-Indian community was extended till the year 2020 through the 95th Amendment, 2009. Originally,this provision was to operate till 1960.
Constitutional Provisions
- Article 366: It defines Anglo-Indian as a person whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the male line is or was of European descent but who is domiciled within the territory of India and is or was born within such territory of parents habitually resident therein and not established there for temporary purposes only.
- Article 331: It states that the President can nominate two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha if the community is not adequately represented.
- Article 333: It states that the Governor of a State may if he is of the opinion that the Anglo Indian community needs representation in the Legislative Assembly of the State and is not adequately represented therein, nominate one member of that community to the Assembly.
- Article 334(b): The reservation of the Anglo Indian community in the Legislative bodies was extended for 40 years in 1949 through the insertion of this article.
- National Commission for SCs (Article 338) : It investigates all matters relating to the Constitutional and other legal safeguards for the Anglo-Indian community and report to the President upon their working.
