Shillong, Feb 18: An expert committee reviewing the State’s Reservation Policy has clarified that the question of extending reservations to educational institutions falls outside its mandate, and therefore no recommendation has been made on the issue.
In its observations, the Committee stated that it was not empowered to examine whether the existing reservation framework should apply to admissions in government educational institutions, including higher and professional studies. As such, it refrained from expressing any opinion on stakeholder demands concerning educational reservations.
The Committee referred to Article 15(4) of the Constitution of India, which enables the State to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes, as well as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. However, it noted that the State Government’s resolution dated January 12, 1972, appears to have been issued under Article 16(4), which pertains specifically to reservations in public employment, rather than under Article 15(4), which relates to education.
The Committee also took note of the Government of Meghalaya’s decision dated May 13, 2023, directing that the 1972 Reservation Policy be followed in the allocation of seats for MBBS courses.
During its review, the Committee examined proceedings of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session held on April 6, 2018. In that session, MLA S.K. Sun had raised a query regarding the extension of the State’s Job Reservation Policy to admissions in government educational institutions.
Responding on the floor of the House, the Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had stated that while the 1972 Reservation Policy does not explicitly mention reservations in education, such application has been implied and followed as a long-standing practice.
The Committee reported that it could not identify any separate or additional documentation explicitly extending reservations to educational institutions. Nevertheless, given statements made in the Legislative Assembly, it inferred that the Government has at least implicitly exercised its powers under Article 15(4) in applying reservations to education.
The Committee further observed that assessing whether the current approach advances substantive equality over formal equality would require detailed data and analysis, which was beyond its scope and available resources.
In light of these constraints, the Committee concluded that it is not in a position to offer any opinion or recommendation regarding the extension of reservations to educational institutions.
