Rethinking social justice: Constitutional basis and judicial perspectives on reservation for backward classes in India

Abstract

The Indian Constitution seeks to harmonize personal liberty and collective equality, offering a foundational approach to remedying persistent social inequities through reservation policies. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's vision shaped this system, which commits the State to actively challenge caste-based hierarchies and foster genuine substantive equality. Social justice, as envisaged by the framers, transcends distributive fairness, serving as a transformative constitutional value aimed at restructuring entrenched social relations. For the framers, social justice was not limited to fair distribution; rather, it was a transformative, constitutional principle designed to reshape deep-rooted societal structures. This paper revisits the philosophical and constitutional foundations of India's reservation policy, tracing its judicial evolution and contemporary challenges, with a focus on Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). It examines judicial discourse from State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan to Indra Sawhney v. Union of India, illustrating how the Supreme Court has sought to balance equality with administrative efficiency. While reservation remains a vital instrument of social inclusion, its long-term legitimacy relies on periodic reassessment and adherence to constitutional morality.