The year 2021 is the centenary year of the “Communal” Government Order (GO) in Madras Presidency. It introduced reservations based on castes and communities in government jobs, education and representations in bodies by communities.
The GO was not only unique to Madras or South India. It was preceded by similar measures in many north Indian provinces.
Reservation became one of the most divisive public issues, dividing them into ‘reserved’ and ‘general’ categories. The reservation was seen as the opposite of a merit system.
Reservation, the especially caste-based reservation has been established as bad, whereas the reservations in the name of ‘Merit Stream’ for the wards of employees or alumni of universities and colleges is seen as right and justified. To look at the matter closely, it appears that there is a build-up of an existing system wherein all those people in Government services are parents or in-laws of other Government servants or to people from influential political families.
Reservation is a quasi-quota system. The selection is made through a competitive examination. For this purpose, all eligible persons are admitted to examination, divided into different streams, and allowed access to the selected stream on the basis of merit ascertained from the marks obtained at the qualifying stage.
Despite several revolutions, revolutions and the rule of people's representatives are not capable of surpassing the old political ideologies of caste-based reservation or merit-based reservations. In both the cases, it has led to partial socio-economic inclusion. As a result, some sections got the opportunity to have proper education and jobs. On the other hand, some remain deprived of opportunities for even after their centuries-long wait for social justice due to backwardness or scarcity of opportunities in service and political spheres.
The most recent judgment in the Saurav Yadav vs. State of Uttar Pradesh case, reiterates the judgment of Mandal judgment, that un-reserved category must be open to all and selection should be merit-based, including for those belonging to categories entitled to reservations.
In India, the reservation system leads to a wide variety of issues like caste and merit or competition between reserved and unreserved categories. However, it should be noted that the Merit is not based on the caste or community of an individual, rather it is based on one’s hard work and determination achieved through hardships. Therefore, the reservation system in India reflects the principle of ‘justice’ winning over all other aspects.