Recently, the Supreme Court of India in its verdict suggested a sub-classification of the reservation to ensure social justice reaches the most neglected and deprived section of society.
The idea of sub-classification aligns with B. R Ambedkar's principle of fraternity and maitri. BR Ambedkar has often said that every caste has its importance on the social ladder. Ambedkar asked the people of the SC community to wipe out the internal discrimination among them when they protested against untouchability.
There were mixed reactions among people of Schedule Caste to this verdict. Some protest was organized by the leading SC caste in fear of losing political leverage. The argument given by the protest-calling castes is that the sub-classification will lead to a divide between the sc community and their struggle for equality will become weak. But this argument assumes that there is a single dalit movement which is not true. The Bharat band called by some specific Dalit caste is a misstep that could affect the collective identity of Dalits.
The situation is not the same in the South as in the North, In the South, people from the sc community welcome this step as most Dalit organizations support the demand for sub-classification of categories. Concern for the execution of the step can be answered by the example of successful implications of sub-classification of categories in Haryana and Punjab before the Chinniah judgement in 2004.
Concluding we can say that the judgement is not an imposition from above but a reflection of years of grassroots activism and demand for Sub-categorization.
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