Why in the News?
- The Central Government has set up a committee under the Cabinet Secretary to formulate a methodology for equitable distribution of benefits among Scheduled Castes (SCs).
Key Objectives of the Committee
- Ensure fair distribution of government schemes and welfare benefits across 1,200+ SC sub-groups.
- Address concerns that certain advanced SC communities are monopolizing reservation benefits.
- Does not address reservation sub-categorization directly but focuses on equitable allocation of development initiatives.
Legal Background on SC Sub-Categorization
- E.V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh (2005): SC ruled states cannot sub-categorize SCs, as it violates Article 341 (President’s power to specify SCs).
- State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (2020): Allowed state-level sub-categorization of SC benefits.
- Jarnail Singh v. Lachhmi Narain Gupta (2018): SC upheld the “creamy layer” principle within SC reservations.
- Article 16(4) of the Constitution already enables states to create special provisions for backward classes.
Significance of the Panel
- The committee will determine a fair mechanism to distribute government benefits among all SC communities.
- May lead to reforms in reservation allocation without constitutional amendments.
