SC Implements Non-Judicial Staff Reservation
Why focus: GS2 Polity — directly tests Article 146(2) regarding CJI's administrative powers over Supreme Court staff rules.
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
- ▶
BEFORE: Staff recruitment and promotions lacked a formal, codified constitutional mandate for strict category-wise reservations in the Supreme Court registry. NOW: A statutory mandate guarantees 15% reservation for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs in non-judicial direct recruitment and promotions.
- ▶
BEFORE: Quotas for specific vulnerable groups like the physically challenged, ex-servicemen, and dependents of freedom fighters were largely discretionary or inconsistently applied in internal promotions. NOW: These horizontal quotas are formally integrated and legally binding under the newly amended Supreme Court staff recruitment rules.
- ▶
BEFORE: The Supreme Court maintained strict administrative distance from executive affirmative action mandates to preserve its autonomy under Article 146. NOW: The apex court has harmonized its internal rules with national social justice policies on its own terms, setting an institutional precedent for High Courts across India.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Practice Questions
Q1
Correct Statement(s)Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Supreme Court's 2025 implementation of non-judicial staff reservations? 1. The Supreme Court amended its recruitment rules utilizing the administrative powers granted to the Chief Justice of India under Article 146(2) of the Constitution. 2. The newly introduced rules restrict the 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) exclusively to direct recruitment, explicitly omitting promotions.