Brahmins, despite being seen as socially and educationally advanced, allegedly lack grassroots political representation. A petition by the Youth for Equality Foundation, argued by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, asks whether they can be classified as politically backward classes for panchayat reservations.
Can Brahmins, often regarded as socially and educationally advanced yet lacking representation among elected officials at the grassroots level of democracy, be classified as politically backward classes (PBCs) eligible for reservation of panchayat constituencies?
In a petition by the NGO ‘Youth for Equality Foundation,’ represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan.
The matter was brought before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices R. Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi.
The bench expressed an openness to examine the issue but noted that it initially believes PBCs should originate from socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs).
They stated,
“If those among SEBC communities are under-represented…then they could be categorised as PBCs, but the reverse is not true.”
Citing a ruling from 2010 by a five-judge Supreme Court bench in the K. Krishna Murthy case, it was mentioned that “social and economic backwardness does not necessarily coincide with political backwardness.”
Furthermore, the 2010 bench advised that state governments might want to reconsider their reservation policies, indicating that beneficiaries under Articles 243-D(6) and 243-T(6) need not align with SEBCs for the purposes of Article 15(4) or even with backward classes underrepresented in government positions as per Article 16(4).
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Article 243-D(6): Reservation of Seats in Panchayats (Other Backward Classes)
- This clause allows states to provide reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Panchayats.
Article 243-T(6): Reservation of Seats in Municipalities (Other Backward Classes)
- This clause is similar to 243-D(6), but applies to Municipalities.