The historic 1962 case of mr balaji vs state of mysore perfectly captures the ongoing battle for social justice within the parameters of constitutional equality. It has long been a difficult topic in a country as varied as India how to best support the growth of historically marginalized groups while upholding a just and merit-based system. The intricacies of the constitution and the social issues surrounding affirmative action are brought to light in this case. It discussed how to strike a careful balance between upholding meritocracy in educational institutions and guaranteeing equitable chances for historically underprivileged communities.
mr balaji vs state of mysore Case Facts
- A directive issued by the State Government of Mysore on July 26, 1958, classified all communities, apart from the Brahmin community, as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, socially and educationally disadvantaged groups.
- 75% of all seats in educational institutions were set aside for these communities.
- Following that, in the years that followed, numerous further orders were passed that had comparable schemes but different percentages of reserve. But all of these directives were contested and overturned.
- However, in 1962, the Government of Mysore issued an order once more, superseding all earlier decisions concerning the reservation of seats granted by the Government under Article 15(4).
- The State divided the backward classes into two categories, backward classes and more backward classes, according to the aforementioned order.
- Furthermore, it only left 32% of seats for the merit pool in the State Engineering and Medical Colleges, reserving 68% of the seats for socially and educationally backward groups, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
- 23 petitioners contested this State of Mysore order before the Supreme Court in a writ case brought under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution.
- Of these 23 petitioners, six had applied for admission to pre-professional medical classes at medical colleges connected to Mysore University or Karnataka University, and the other seventeen had applied to the University of Mysore for a five-year integrated Bachelor of Engineering program.
mr balaji vs state of mysore Issues
- Is the caste system the only factor used to determine how backward a class is?
- Is the test that the state has chosen to gauge educational backwardness acceptable?
- Is it OK to classify people into more backward classes and backward classes?
- How much of a reserve may be made in accordance with article 15(4) of the Indian constitution?
Contentions by the Parties
Petitioner:
- Before issuing any instructions under article 15(4) of the indian constitution, the State shall establish a commission in conformity with Article 340 of the Constitution.
- Only the President has the authority to grant special permission for the advancement of the less fortunate classes. Consequently, the State was not authorized to issue the contested order in accordance with Article 15(4) of the Constitution.
- Despite the State’s authorization under article 15(4) of the Indian constitution, executive orders cannot be used to carry out such measures; instead, legislation must be passed.
- The challenged order’s methodology for identifying and cataloguing the socially and educationally backward classes of State residents is illogical.
- The 68% reservation made by the contested order violates article 15(4) of the indian constitution.
Respondent:
- The assailed order’s classification is logical and understandable. article 15(4) of the Indian constitution properly justifies the reserve mandated by the aforementioned order.
- It is contested that the contested order is a fraudulent use of state power and is a tainted interpretation of the Constitution.
- Caste is not the only factor used to determine the order.
- The State has been sensibly and purposefully given no restrictions regarding the scope of any special provisions it may establish by virtue of article 15(4) of the Indian constitution.
- The State would be free to follow such course if the issue of Scheduled Castes and Tribes and backward classes of citizens in a particular State were to become so severe as to necessitate the reservation of all seats in higher education.
- The sole criterion that can be used is whether or whether the provision is substantially adequate in light of the issue that the State is called upon to address.
- The death or effectiveness of scholarship would not be impacted at all by the high number of seats reserved for the less fortunate segments of society.
mr balaji vs state of mysore Judgment
- The court made it clear that awarding reservations cannot be based only on caste. The court made it clear that Muslims, Jains, and Christians do not adhere to the caste system.
- Therefore, it would be unjust to offer a reservation based only on caste. Second, 6.9 was the state’s test average per 1000 students. The Lingayats averaged 7.1%, making them one of the groups listed in the backward committees.
- According to the court, article 15(4) of the Indian constitution only permits reservations for the backward classes, not for classes that are less advanced than the State’s most advanced classes. According to the court, reservations have to be made within reasonable bounds.
- Since the idea of a creamy layer had not yet been developed, the court decided that the most deserving individuals should receive the reservation in order to elevate them.
- The Court additionally stated that granting reservations beyond fifty percent would be discriminatory toward the other communities; as a result, it is critical that reservations be granted within acceptable bounds.
In order to maintain fairness and meritocracy, the Supreme Court’s ruling not only limited the number of reservations but also established rules for classifying the underprivileged, striking a balance between the necessity for social advancement and the equality guaranteed by the constitution. The ruling also made it clearer how Articles 15(4) and 16(4) may be used, directing future reservations practices and establishing a ceiling to avoid making too many reservations.
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