Patna High Court Strikes Down Hike in Bihar’s Reservations | Know What Happened in Detail | UPSC

StudyIQ IAS

20 Jun 202411:23

Summary

TLDRThe Bihar High Court has made a significant decision to strike down the reservation quota for the Economically Backward Classes (EBC) from 65% to 50%, reverting to the previous level. This follows a caste survey conducted by the Bihar government, which revealed that approximately 64% of the population falls under the OBC category. The decision has implications for job and education opportunities, as the court argued that increasing the quota to 65% was discriminatory and violated fundamental rights. The ruling is expected to have a profound impact on the distribution of reservations in Bihar.

Takeaways

📜 The Bihar government increased the reservation for OBC, SC, and ST from 50% to 65% in jobs and educational institutions.
⚖️ The Patna High Court struck down this decision, reverting the reservation back to 50%.
📊 A caste survey conducted by the Bihar government revealed that 64% of the state's population belongs to OBC.
📉 The survey also indicated significant poverty, with many families earning less than ₹50,000 annually.
📈 Bihar has a high literacy rate of 79%, with women being more literate than men.
🌍 Over 50 lakh Biharis live outside the state, with around 2.17 lakh residing abroad.
👩‍🎓 The survey found that only 6% of Bihar's population is graduate, and a very small percentage have post-graduate qualifications.
👨‍⚖️ Several petitions were filed against the increased reservation, arguing it was discriminatory and violated constitutional rights.
🏛️ The Supreme Court's 1990 decision in the Indra Sawhney case set a 50% cap on reservations, which the High Court cited in its ruling.
📚 The script promotes a new GS Foundation batch for UPSC preparation, offering courses in multiple languages with discounts available.

Q & A

What significant decision was made by the Patna High Court regarding reservation in Bihar?
-The Patna High Court struck down the reservation increase from 50% to 65% for OBCs (Other Backward Classes), SC (Scheduled Castes), and ST (Scheduled Tribes) in jobs and educational institutions, reverting it back to the previous 50% reservation.
Why did the Bihar government initially increase the reservation percentage from 50% to 65%?
-The Bihar government increased the reservation percentage based on the findings of a caste survey conducted by the state, which revealed that the OBC population in Bihar was around 64%, prompting the need for increased reservation.
What was the purpose of the caste survey conducted by the Bihar government?
-The caste survey aimed to determine the population distribution of various castes, the extent of poverty, and other socio-economic conditions within Bihar to inform policies, including reservation policies.
What were the main findings of the caste survey in Bihar?
-The caste survey found that approximately 64% of Bihar's population belongs to the OBC category, with Scheduled Castes making up about 20%, Scheduled Tribes about 1.7%, and the unreserved category around 15%.
How did the Bihar government justify the increase in reservation for OBCs based on the caste survey results?
-The Bihar government argued that since the OBC population was around 64%, it was necessary to increase their reservation to at least 43% to reflect their proportion in the state's population.
What was the initial reservation percentage for different categories before the increase to 65%?
-Before the increase, the reservation was 30% for OBCs, 16% for Scheduled Castes, 1% for Scheduled Tribes, and an additional 3% for OBC women.
What arguments did the Patna High Court use to strike down the 65% reservation?
-The Patna High Court argued that the increase to 65% reservation was discriminatory and violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution, and also crossed the Supreme Court's 50% ceiling set in the Indira Sahani case.
How did the Bihar government's decision to conduct its own caste survey differ from the central government's stance at the time?
-While the central government, led by the BJP, opposed the caste survey, the Bihar government, then led by RJD in coalition with other parties, decided to conduct the survey independently to gather data for policy-making.
What are the implications of the Patna High Court's decision for UPSC aspirants preparing for the exam?
-The decision means that UPSC aspirants should be aware of the current reservation status, which is back to 50%, and prepare accordingly, as reservation policies can influence the availability of seats in educational institutions and government jobs.
What is the constitutional provision that addresses the special provisions made for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Anglo-Indians, and Other Backward Classes?
-The constitutional provisions for special provisions made for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Anglo-Indians, and Other Backward Classes are found in Part XVI of the Constitution, which deals with special provisions relating to certain classes.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Bihar Reservation Policy Reversal

The Patna High Court has struck down a decision made by the Bihar government to increase the reservation quota from 50% to 65% for OBCs, SCs, and STs in jobs and educational institutions. The decision was made following a caste census that revealed a significant population of OBCs in Bihar. The court argued that the increase was discriminatory and violated fundamental rights, including those under Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution. The ruling has reverted the reservation back to the previous 50% quota.

05:02

📊 Analysis of Bihar's Caste Census and Socio-Economic Impact

The script discusses the findings of the caste census conducted in Bihar, revealing that approximately 64% of the population belongs to the OBC category, with Scheduled Castes making up around 20%. It also highlights the socio-economic conditions, including the income levels of families, literacy rates, and employment status. The census data showed that only 4% of families in Bihar earn more than INR 50,000, with about 28% of families earning between INR 10,000 and 50,000. Furthermore, it was found that 1.5% of the population is employed by the government, and a significant number of Bihar's residents live outside the state due to lack of opportunities, with around 46 lakh people residing in other states and 2.17 lakh abroad.

10:03

🏛 Constitutional Provisions for Special Groups in India

The video script poses a question regarding the constitutional provisions made for specific groups such as the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Anglo-Indians in India. It invites viewers to recall the parts of the Constitution that address these provisions, hinting at the importance of understanding the legal framework that safeguards the rights and interests of these communities.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Reservation

Reservation refers to the policy of setting aside a certain percentage of seats in educational institutions and jobs for underprivileged groups to promote social equity. In the context of the video, the Bihar government had increased the reservation for Economically Backward Classes (EBC) from 50% to 65%, which was later struck down by the Patna High Court, reverting it back to the original 50%.

💡Patna High Court

The Patna High Court is a judicial body in Bihar that has the authority to review and make decisions on legal matters. In the video, it is mentioned that the Patna High Court struck down the increased reservation of 65%, stating that the original 50% reservation should apply, which is a central element in the video's narrative.

💡Economically Backward Classes (EBC)

Economically Backward Classes (EBC) is a term used in India to denote a group of people who are economically disadvantaged but may not fall under the traditional categories of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes. The video discusses the reservation policy for EBC, which was increased from 50% to 65% by the Bihar government and then reduced back to 50% by the court's decision.

💡Caste Survey

A Caste Survey is an exercise conducted to collect data on the population distribution of different castes within a region. The video mentions that the Bihar government conducted a caste survey which revealed that about 64% of the population in Bihar is EBC, influencing the decision to increase the reservation percentage.

💡Scheduled Castes (SC)

Scheduled Castes (SC) are officially recognized groups in India that have historically been subject to social discrimination and are eligible for affirmative action benefits. The video script discusses the reservation percentages for SC, which is part of the broader conversation about reservation policies in Bihar.

💡Scheduled Tribes (ST)

Scheduled Tribes (ST) are indigenous groups in India that are also eligible for affirmative action and reservation benefits. The script refers to the reservation for ST as part of the overall reservation policy in Bihar, which was a point of contention in the court case discussed.

💡Affirmative Action

Affirmative action is a set of policies aimed at improving opportunities for members of underrepresented groups. In the video, the term is used in the context of the reservation policy, which is an example of affirmative action in India, designed to uplift disadvantaged groups.

💡Legislative Assembly

A Legislative Assembly refers to the law-making body of a state in a federal system. In the script, the Bihar Legislative Assembly is mentioned in relation to the bills that were introduced to increase the reservation percentages for various groups.

💡Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial body in the country. The video script refers to a Supreme Court case from 1990, Indira Sahani vs Union of India, which set a cap on reservations at 50%, a precedent that influenced the Patna High Court's decision.

💡Fundamental Rights

Fundamental Rights are the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India to all citizens. The video discusses how the reservation policy is related to the fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15, and 16, which ensure equality before the law and non-discrimination.

💡Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)

Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) is a term used to describe a group of people who are economically disadvantaged but do not belong to SC, ST, or EBC categories. The script mentions a 10% reservation for EWS, which is part of the overall reservation policy in Bihar.

Highlights

Patna High Court's decision to revert the EBC reservation from 65% to 50%.

The initial increase of reservation from 50% to 65% was challenged in court.

The Bihar government conducted a caste survey to understand the demographic distribution within the state.

The caste survey revealed that approximately 64% of Bihar's population is EBC.

The survey also highlighted the population percentages of Scheduled Castes (20%) and Scheduled Tribes (1.7%).

The unreserved category in Bihar's population is around 15%.

The caste survey detailed the population distribution among various castes, including Brahmins and Rajputs.

Poverty levels in Bihar were identified, with about one-third of families living on an income of approximately ₹2000.

The survey found that only 4% of Bihar's population earns more than ₹500,000.

Approximately 1.5% of Bihar's population is employed in government jobs.

6.4% of the population in Bihar belongs to the Scheduled Castes.

Literacy rates in Bihar are at 79%, with a higher literacy rate among women.

Only 0.82% of Bihar's population has post-graduate degrees.

Around 50 lakh Biharis live outside their home state, primarily for work.

The Bihar government's rationale for increasing reservation was based on the caste survey's findings.

The court's decision has implications for the legislative assembly bills related to reservations in education and government jobs.

The Supreme Court's previous ruling in 1990 that capped reservations at 50% was cited in the court's decision.