Sub Categorization of SC/ST

Published on 18 Mar 2025

•  In the State of Punjab Vs Davinder singh 2024,  a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of sub-classification in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.
• The court has held that sub-classification for the purposes of reservation is part of ‘substantive equality’ as against mere ‘formal equality’.
• The court stated two ground realities: 
• SCs and STs are not a uniform class: The inclusion in the list of SCs and STs, specified in Article 341 and 342 respectively, does not automatically lead to the formation of a uniform and internally homogenous class .There are differences among the SC/ST and can be classified into different castes/groups.
• Underrepresentation of certain castes: The absence of sub-classification has ensured that only a few dominant castes in the reserved categories avail the benefit of reservation. 
•  Article 341 - The President can specify which castes, races, or tribes are Scheduled Castes in a state or union territory. 
•  Article 342 - The President can specify which tribes or tribal communities are Scheduled Tribes in a state or union territory.

Keywords:

Indian Judiciary Judgements of SC Scheduled castes Subcategorization Article 341 Article 342