landmark case laws on reservation in India

1. State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan (1951, Supreme Court)
   The first major reservation case, this ruling struck down caste-based reservation in educational institutions as violating Article 15(1). It led to the First Amendment inserting Article 15(4), allowing special provisions for socially backward classes, SCs, and STs. This case laid the foundation for reservation jurisprudence in India.

2. M.R. Balaji v. State of Mysore (1963, Supreme Court)
   This case set the precedent that reservations in educational institutions should not exceed 50%. The court declared the 68% reservation by Mysore unconstitutional, establishing the “50% ceiling” rule, which remains a benchmark for reservation limits in India.

3. Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992, Supreme Court)
   Known as the Mandal Commission case, this landmark judgement upheld 27% reservations for OBCs while introducing the “creamy layer” concept to exclude the affluent from benefits. It reaffirmed the 50% cap on total reservations except under extraordinary circumstances, shaping modern reservation policies.

4. Jaishri Laxmanrao Patil v. Chief Minister, Maharashtra (2021, Supreme Court)
   The court struck down Maharashtra’s 16% Maratha reservation under SEBC, ruling that state powers to identify backward classes were curtailed by the 102nd Amendment. The case emphasized the need for adequate data to justify reservations. This ruling was politically and socially significant.

5. Maratha Reservation Case (2020, Supreme Court)
   Reinforcing the 50% reservation cap, the Court invalidated the Maratha community’s 16% quota, citing lack of exceptional circumstances. It balanced social justice aims with administrative efficiency, limiting expansion of reservations without strong justification.

6. Sukanya Shantha v. Union of India (2024, Supreme Court)
   This recent case held caste-based discrimination within the prison system unconstitutional, asserting that reservations must align with equality principles under Article 14. It extends the anti-discrimination mandate to all governance areas, reinforcing reservation’s constitutional boundaries.

7. Gaurav Kumar v. State of Bihar (2024, Patna High Court)
   The High Court struck down Bihar’s 65% enhanced reservation based on caste survey data, ruling it violated Articles 14, 15, and 16. The decision emphasizes the importance of scientific data and proportional representation over mechanical caste statistics in reservation policy.

8. Jarnail Singh v. Lacchmi Narain Gupta (2018, Supreme Court)
   The Court mandated three criteria for SC/ST reservations in promotions: under-representation proof, administrative efficiency maintenance, and exclusion of creamy layer within SC/ST. This set a precedent for reservations beyond initial recruitment stages.

9. State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (2024, Supreme Court)
   The Court held the State’s power to subclassify Scheduled Castes and Tribes for targeted reservation benefits, clarifying the scope of affirmative action within these groups to address intra-category inequalities.

10. EWS Reservation Judgments (Ongoing, Supreme Court)
    The Court is scrutinizing the economic criteria for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservations in medical and educational institutions, emphasizing that reservation limits and income thresholds must have scientific backing to ensure fairness and constitutionality.

These cases form the core of India’s legal framework on caste reservation, balancing social justice with constitutional mandates on equality and administrative efficiency.