‘Bring reservation in private educational institutions’: Congress says it’s impossible to ignore demand of SC, ST and OBCs

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wedneday called on the government to enact legislation mandating reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in private higher educational institutions (HEIs). His appeal comes after a report by the bipartisan Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, chaired by Digvijaya Singh.

The committee’s report proposes a legal framework for a 15% reservation for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs in private HEIs.

Ramesh highlighted the report’s significance, stating, “The bipartisan Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education led by Digvijaya Singh has presented a report to Parliament today which advocates for reservations for SC, ST and OBC communities in private higher educational institutions (HEIs).” 

This move aligns with the Congress’s commitment in their 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto to enforce Article 15(5) of the Indian Constitution. Article 15(5) was inserted by the 93rd Amendment in 2006 under Manmohan Singh’s government. 

It empowers the government to mandate reservations in private higher educational institutions. Ramesh emphasised that “it is no longer possible to ignore the legitimate demand of SC, ST, and OBC communities for reservations in private higher educational institutes.”

While the Supreme Court validated Article 15(5) in 2014, Ramesh noted, “However, there is currently no law passed by Parliament which enforces Article 15(5) and mandates private HEIs to have reservations for SC, ST, and OBC community students.”

Ramesh pointed out, “The current representation of SCs, STs, and OBC communities in private educational institutions is abysmally low.” Current data reveals low representation of these communities in private Institutions of Eminence (IoE), with SC students accounting for 0.89%, ST for 0.53%, and OBC for 11.16%.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has also supported increasing the OBC quota, emphasising the need for legislative action post a caste census.