Social Inequalities, Affirmative Action Policy and Social Justice In India

This study examines the evolution of affirmative action policies for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in post-independence India as a key mechanism for addressing social inequality rooted in caste-based stratification. Drawing on historical and legal analyses, this study traces the trajectory from the First Backward Classes Commission (1953–55) to the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations and subsequent judicial interventions by the Supreme Court of India.

This paper critically analyzes how state-led policies of reservation have sought to reconcile the principles of social justice with constitutional limits, particularly through debates surrounding proportional representation, the ‘creamy layer’ criterion, and the 50 percent ceiling on reservations.

The paper argues that while affirmative action has played a crucial role in expanding access to education and public employment for historically marginalised groups, it has also generated persistent political contestation and legal scrutiny, revealing tensions between caste, class, and economic criteria of disadvantage. The introduction of the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation through the 103rd Constitutional Amendment is examined as a significant shift in the discourse on social justice, signalling a move from caste-based to economic definitions of inequality. By situating India’s reservation policies within broader sociological debates on inequality, state power, and redistribution, this paper contributes to comparative discussions on affirmative action and social justice in the Global South.

Key words: Social Inequalities; Social Justice; Affirmative Action Policy; Other Backward Classes; Caste and Class; Supreme Court.