Open Access Research Article

BEYOND RESERVATION: SUB-CLASSIFICATION, CREAMY LAYER AND THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT IN HARYANA

Author(s):
SUMIT
Journal IJLRA
ISSN 2582-6433
Access Open Access
Volume 3
Issue 5

Abstract

Abstract
The Supreme Court's seven-judge bench ruling in State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (2024) overturned two decades of precedent set by E.V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh (2004) by holding that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are not homogeneous classes and may be sub-classified by states for the purpose of reservation, subject to empirical justification and application of a creamy-layer-type exclusion. This paper examines the doctrinal foundations of this shift, situates it within Haryana's distinctive reservation architecture — including its Backward Classes (A) and (B) bifurcation, its 2024 sub-classification of Scheduled Castes into Deprived and Other Scheduled Castes, its expanded 27% OBC quota, and its horizontal quota for ex-Agniveers — and evaluates the administrative, statistical, and constitutional challenges that Haryana faces in operationalising sub-classification without violating Article 14. Using representation-gap data, comparative state models, and doctrinal analysis, the paper argues that the future of public employment reservation in Haryana will depend on the state's capacity to generate defensible empirical data, insulate the process from majoritarian capture, and extend a coherent creamy-layer logic across all reserved categories.

Published Paper

PDF Preview

Author Details

Authors: SUMIT
Registration ID: 1013059 | Published Paper ID: IJLRA13059
Year: Aug-2026 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 5
Approved ISSN: 2582-6433 | Country: Delhi, India
Page No.: 1619-1633

About Journal

International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis

  • AbbreviationIJLRA
  • ISSN2582-6433
  • AccessOpen Access
  • LicenseCC 4.0

All research articles published in International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis are open access and available to read, download and share, subject to proper citation of the original work.

Creative Commons

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis.