New SC Reservation Categories in Haryana

• 14 Nov 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the Chief Minister of Haryana implemented sub-classification within the Scheduled Castes (SC) for reservation in government jobs.

Key Points

• Supreme Court Ruling on SC Sub-Classification:
  • On 1^st August 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that states have the constitutional authority to create sub-classifications within the Scheduled Castes (SC) category, acknowledging its social diversity.
  • Following the ruling, the Haryana government approved the SC sub-classification in its first cabinet meeting.
• Sub-Divisions in Haryana:
  • The Haryana State Commission for Scheduled Castes recommended dividing SC reservations into two categories:
    • Deprived Scheduled Castes (DSC): It includes 36 castes, such as Dhanaks, Balmikis, Mazhabi Sikhs, and Khatiks, which would receive 50% of the SC reservation quota in jobs due to inadequate representation.
    • Other Scheduled Castes (OSC): It includes castes like Chamar, Jatia Chamar, Rehgar, Raigar, Ramdasi, Ravidasi, Jatav, Mochi, and Ramdasia.
• Educational Quota for DSC in Haryana:
  • In 2020, Haryana enacted the Scheduled Castes (Reservation in Admission in Educational Institutions) Act, reserving 50% of SC seats in higher education institutions for the DSC category.