Reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Also called: Reservation of seats · Topic: Framing the Indian Constitution · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Framing the Constitution"
Meaning
Reservation means keeping a share of seats or jobs only for certain groups. The Constitution reserved seats in legislatures and posts in government jobs for the lowest castes (Scheduled Castes) and for tribes (Scheduled Tribes). The framers chose this instead of separate electorates, a system in which only members of one community vote for that community's representative. After the Partition violence, the Assembly rejected separate electorates, and even Ambedkar dropped the demand. In a reserved seat, all citizens vote, but only a candidate from the protected group can win.
Example
In the Constituent Assembly, Jaipal Singh, who spoke for the Adibasis (tribal people), asked for reserved seats rather than separate electorates. He said this would make others hear tribal voices.
Don't confuse with
- Separate electorates: here only one community's voters elect its representative. With reservation, everyone votes together.
Related concepts
- N.G. Ranga
- Jaipal Singh
- Adivasi
- J. Nagappa
- K.J. Khanderkar
- Dakshayani Velayudhan
- Jagjivan Ram
- Hansa Mehta
- Abolition of untouchability