Reservation in India

Reservation in India is a system of constitutionally grounded quotas in education, public employment, and elected bodies for historically disadvantaged communities, especially Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.

Scheduled Castes: Communities listed by the Indian government as Scheduled Castes, historically subjected to untouchability and social exclusion. They are one of the principal groups eligible for reservation in education and public employment.
Communal Award: A 1932 British plan that assigned separate electorates to several communities in colonial India. It intensified disputes over political representation for oppressed castes.
Reservation in higher education in India: Quotas in Indian higher-education admissions for eligible constitutionally recognized and disadvantaged groups. It applies reservation to admission in universities and other institutions.
Formal equality: The principle that people should receive identical treatment under the law, without regard to their circumstances. Reservation departs from identical treatment to address entrenched group disadvantage.
Scheduled Tribes: Communities officially designated as Scheduled Tribes, many with distinct social, cultural, and geographic histories. They receive reserved places in education, public employment, and legislatures.
Poona Pact: A 1932 agreement between B. R. Ambedkar and M. K. Gandhi replacing separate electorates with reserved seats for the Depressed Classes. It shaped the reserved-seat model later adopted for Scheduled Castes.
Reservation in public employment in India: Quotas in recruitment to Indian public services and government posts for eligible groups. It translates affirmative action into access to government employment.
Substantive equality: An approach to equality that considers unequal social conditions and seeks fair opportunities or outcomes. It provides a rationale for differentiated measures such as quotas.
Other Backward Classes: Socially and educationally disadvantaged communities designated for affirmative-action benefits in India. Their inclusion expanded reservation beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Government of India Act 1935: A British statute that expanded provincial self-government and established a federal framework for colonial India. Its political arrangements included reserved representation that preceded independence.

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