Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has voiced her party’s support for the Bharat Bandh. She has accused political parties like the BJP and Congress of conspiring to make the reservation system ineffective through such judicial decisions.
![[Bharat Bandh Today] Nationwide Protest By BSP Workers After SC's Ruling on SC/ST Reservation Sub-Categorization](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-89-2.png?resize=600%2C338&ssl=1)
NEW DELHI: The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has called for a nationwide Bharat Bandh protest on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, against the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that allows states to make sub-classifications within the SC and ST communities for the purpose of granting reservation.
Several SC/ST groups, particularly in Rajasthan, have expressed support for the Bharat Bandh. The protesters argue that the Supreme Court’s decision will undermine the core principles of reservation and go against the legacy of BR Ambedkar, the architect of India’s reservation system.
Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has voiced her party’s support for the Bharat Bandh. She has accused political parties like the BJP and Congress of conspiring to make the reservation system ineffective through such judicial decisions.
Mayawati took to X and said,
“BSP supports Bharat Bandh because there is anger and resentment against the Supreme Court’s decision regarding sub-classification of SC/ST and creamy layer in them on 1 August 2024 due to the conspiracy against reservation by parties like BJP and Congress and their collusion to make it ineffective and finally end it.”
“In this regard, the people of these classes have given a memorandum to the government today under ‘Bharat Bandh’ and have made a strong demand to abolish the changes made in reservation through constitutional amendment, etc., which an appeal has been made to be done in a disciplined and peaceful manner without any violence.”
“The constitutional right of reservation given to OBC community along with SC-ST is the result of the continuous struggle of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, the true messiah of these classes. The BJP, Congress and other parties should understand its necessity and sensitivity and should not play with it.”
The protesters have urged businesses and markets to remain closed during the day-long protest, which is expected to disrupt public transport and private offices, though emergency services will remain operational. They have also submitted a memorandum to the government, demanding a constitutional amendment to set aside the Supreme Court’s changes to the reservation policy.
The Supreme Court had ruled that states have the power to make sub-classifications within the SC and ST communities based on quantifiable data of backwardness and representation, rather than on “whims” or “political expediency”. However, the protesters argue that this decision will undermine the basic principles of reservation and harm the interests of the marginalized communities.
In a landmark decision on August 1, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court revised the framework for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) reservations, marking the first change since these provisions were established in the Constitution in 1950.
In a 6:1 ruling led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, the Bench allowed states to create sub-classifications within SC and ST categories to provide additional protections through fixed sub-quotas for the most backward communities within these groups. This ruling set aside the 2004 Supreme Court decision in E.V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh, which had previously deemed the SC/ST list as a “homogenous group” that could not be further divided.
Article 341 of the Constitution permits the President to designate certain castes, races, or tribes as SCs, recognizing their historical oppression and granting them 15% reservation in education and public employment. However, some groups within the SC category have been underrepresented compared to others. States have attempted to provide additional protection to these groups, but such efforts have faced judicial challenges.
Chief Justice Chandrachud emphasized that representation alone does not resolve the struggles faced by lower-caste communities. Justice B.R. Gavai noted that states should identify and exclude the “creamy layer” from SC and ST reservations.
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