Tag: reservations

The OBC reservations verdict and the national interest

A step on the road towards equality, merit and a quest for excellence

Excerpts from Mukul Asher’s DNA op-ed piece on the Supreme Court verdict on OBC reservations*:

The society’s need for competence and employable graduates has been balanced with provision of educational access to the OBCs.

The judgement of the Supreme Court (should) be respected in both letter and spirit. Those who are now trying to subvert the letter and spirit of the verdict should receive severe social and political disapproval.

India’s national interests are best served by ordering our society around equality, merit and a quest for excellence. The Supreme Court’s judgment should not be viewed as an end in itself, but rather as an intermediate step towards this goal. Continue reading “The OBC reservations verdict and the national interest”

The verdict on reservations and its implications

Five year reviews and creamy layer exclusions

Lex blogger Ninad Laud was at the Supreme Court when it gave its verdict on the reservations for OBCs in higher education. Head over to his blog for the details.

The implications of the verdict, he says, are:

Caste based reservations are to stay in educational institutions but minus the creamy layer. The silver lining in this verdict is the scope for review every 5 years. Thus whenever (if and when) we have the political will, a difference could be made to make these reservations meaningful rather than rendering them a mere political gimmick.

Let’s hope the political will does emerge some day!

President Patil of Saudi Arabia

No Pratibha

Pratibha Patil appears to have forgotten that she is the head of state of the Indian republic, not the Saudi kingdom. For what else could she mean by calling for a girls only IIT to be set up in her former Lok Sabha constituency? Forget being apolitical, Mrs Patil is demonstrating both narrow-mindedness and insert-polite-synonym-for-stupidity. (link via Atanu Dey)

Narrow-minded because it plays to a particular mindset that sees women as protection through physical seclusion. And also pointless, because young women who can meet the IITs exacting admission requirements don’t really a need separate institution. It is tragic that the first woman to be elected head of state cannot stop condescending towards Indian women.

Shame on you Madam President!