Chennai, May 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, on Tuesday, chaired a high-level review meeting to discuss legal measures aimed at safeguarding the state’s 69 per cent reservation policy in educational admissions and government jobs.
Tamil Nadu currently provides 26.5 per cent reservation for Backward Classes, 20 per cent for Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities, 18 per cent for Scheduled Castes, 3.5 per cent for Backward Class Muslims, and 1 per cent for Scheduled Tribes.
The state’s reservation policy exceeds the 50 per cent cap laid down by the Supreme Court in the landmark Indra Sawhney vs Union of India judgment. However, Tamil Nadu enacted a separate law in 1993 to protect the quota system.
The legislation, titled the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993, was passed during the AIADMK government led by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
The Act was subsequently included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. Under Article 31B, laws placed in the Ninth Schedule are protected from being declared void on the grounds of violating fundamental rights.
However, in the landmark I.R. Coelho vs State of Tamil Nadu verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that laws included in the Ninth Schedule would still be subject to judicial review if they violated the basic structure of the Constitution.
During the meeting, discussions reportedly focused on exploring suitable legal strategies to ensure the continuation and protection of the 69 per cent reservation framework in the state.
