Question

With reference to the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, consider the following statements:

I. It was passed as the 124th Amendment Bill.

II. Kerala appointed a two-member committee including K. Sasidharan to study its implementation.

III. The 10% EWS reservation applies to private educational institutions except those run by minorities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• A. I only
• B. II and III only
• C. I and III only
• D. I, II, and III

Answer 1

Answer:

D. I, II, and III

103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019

• The 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, introduced reservations for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in educational institutions and government jobs.
• This amendment was initially introduced as the 124th Amendment Bill in the Parliament.
• It enables the government to provide 10% reservation to EWS candidates who are not covered under existing reservation categories (SC, ST, OBC).
• This reservation is applicable to both Central Educational Institutions and State Educational Institutions, with the exception of minority educational institutions.
• Following the amendment, various states initiated steps for its implementation. For instance, Kerala formed a committee to study its implementation. This committee included a member named K. Sasidharan.
• The Supreme Court of India has upheld the validity of this amendment, including the provision for reservations in private educational institutions, excluding those run by minorities.
• The amendment aims to promote social justice and equality by providing opportunities to disadvantaged sections of society based on economic criteria.

Key Provisions:

• Insertion of Article 15(6): Allows the State to make special provisions for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens, including reservations in educational institutions.
• Insertion of Article 16(6): Allows the State to make any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any economically weaker sections of citizens, which are not adequately represented in the services under the State.