In a landmark judgement on 1 August 2024, a seven-judge bench of the apex court allowed the sub-categorization of the reservation meant for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, which had not been allowed earlier in many cases. Also, the court has floated an advisory that while conferring the benefit to the most backward, one should not exclude the others, as it may lead to the dangerous trend of appeasement. This article critically analyses the demand and judicial positioning on sub-categorization of reservation, which has arisen in different states along with the possible implications of such a demand.
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