A Reality Check on India’s Direct and Indirect Reservations Exposes How Structural Privileges and Systemic Inequalities Shape Access and Opportunity

Abstract

Reservation, as a social and economic policy, was conceptualized in India to correct historical injustices and ensure equal participation in public life. Over the decades, however, reservation has taken multiple shapes from constitutionally defined categories like Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) to subtler forms of privilege embedded in economic, educational, judicial, and political institutions. This paper explores both direct reservations (legally codified quotas) and indirect reservations (systemic advantages disguised as merit or access). It critically examines the underlying concept of equality, analyses disparities in resource allocation, education, taxation, judicial appointments, and corporate favouritism, and discusses their implications for innovation, equity, and democracy. The study concludes that India’s reservation system, both visible and invisible, reflects deep structural biases that must be rethought to balance social justice and meritocracy.