TN juggles quota for 7 pc ‘minority’ reservation

By doing this, the Government has cleverly avoided legal entanglements by not increasing the total quota level while, at the same time, pleasing the minority community. Tamil Nadu’s existing reservation has already been challenged in the Supreme Court, which had ruled that the total quota cannot exceed 50 per cent.

The state has a high overall reservation of 69 per cent, comprising 30 per cent for Backward Classes, 20 per cent for Most Backward Classes (MBCs) and denotified communities (DCs), 18 per cent for Scheduled Castes and 1 per cent for Scheduled Tribes. The 30 per cent for BCs will now include a 23 per cent ‘Hindu’ quota and a ‘minorities’ quota of 7 per cent.

However, the entire Christian and Muslim population will not be eligible for reservation but only those groups listed in the existing Backward Classes list. The Christian groups include “converts to Christianity from Scheduled Castes, members of the Church of South India (in Kanyakumari district and Shencottah Taluk of Tirunelveli district alone), Latin Catholics, Christian converts from the Nadar, Shanar and Gramani castes, and converts to Christianity from any Hindu backward or most backward community, except the various castes of fishermen”.

Similarly, the eligible Muslim communities are Labbai (including Rowther and Marakayar, whether Tamil or Urdu-speaking), Mappila, Sheikh and Syed.

By providing reservation for Muslims and Christians, the DMK has fulfilled yet another of its poll promises made in the run-up to the state elections in May 2006.

The State Backward Classes Commission, headed by a retired judge, Justice M S Janarthanam, had examined the issue at length and suggested the possibility of extending separate reservation to Muslims and Christians based on the population figures for backward classes belonging to Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities given in the second Backward Classes Commission report of J A Ambashankar, submitted nearly 25 years ago.

Karunanidhi said that his government had decided to promulgate the ordinance with effect from September 15, “as a gift to mark the 99th birth anniversary of C N Annadurai, the late DMK founder”.

THE QUOTA CONUNDRUM

Tamil Nadu

Reservation in education and employment: 69 per cent

Backward Classes: 30 per cent, which will now include 3.5 per cent for Muslims and 3.5 per cent for Christians

Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities: 20 per cent

Scheduled Castes: 18 per cent

Scheduled Tribes: 1 per cent

Karnataka

Reservation in education and employment: 50 per cent

Backward Classes: 4 per cent

Most Backward Classes: 15 per cent

Muslims: 4 per cent

Backward Tribes: 4 per cent

Special Backward Groups: 5 per cent

Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes: 18 per cent

Kerala

Reservation in jobs (private educational institutions have gone to court on quota in education): 50 per cent

Ezhavas: 14 per cent

Muslims: 12 per cent

Latin Catholics/Anglo Indians: 4 per cent

Viswakarmas: 3 per cent

Nadars: 2 per cent

Dheevaras: 1 per cent

Other Christians: 1 per cent

Other Backward Classes (except those mentioned above): 3 per cent

Scheduled Castes: 8 per cent

Scheduled Tribes: 2 per cent

Andhra Pradesh

Reservation in jobs and education: 46 per cent

Muslims: 5 per cent