SCs and STs Reservation in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies: Supreme Court to hear the matter on 21 November

On Wednesday (September 20, 2023), the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court posted a batch of petitions against the reservations provided for SCs/STs (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) communities in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for hearing on 21 November 2023. The bench also stated that the common compilation of documents and written submissions shall be filed by October 17 and November 7 respectively. The matter was posted by a five-judge Constitution bench including Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, Justice AS Bopanna, Justice Manoj Misra, and Justice MM Sundresh. The issues framed in the matter include “Whether the Constitution (104th Amendment) Act 2019 is unconstitutional? And Whether the exercise of consistent powers of amendment to extend the period prescribed for the expiration of the period of reservations under Article 334 is constitutionally valid?” The SC bench further clarified that “The validity of the 104th amendment shall be determined to the extent that it applies to the SCs and the STs since the reservations for Anglo Indians have come to an end at the expiration of 70 years from the commencement of the Constitution.” It also renamed the cause-title of the case as ‘In Re: Article 334 of the Constitution’. 

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