Hyderabad- All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA) has strongly defended reservations as a constitutional right and urged social justice organisations across the country to unite against what he described as an ongoing anti-reservation movement.
In a statement, AIOBCSA President Kiran Kumar Gowd said reservations were created as a constitutional mechanism to address historical exclusion, social discrimination, educational backwardness and inadequate representation. “Reservations are an essential part of India’s social justice framework and must be understood in the context of the Constitution’s commitment to equality and substantive representation,” he said.
Highlighting that 76 years after the adoption of the Constitution, Indian society remains deeply hierarchical on the basis of caste, Gowd warned that any attempt to weaken, dilute, restrict or gradually dismantle reservations would have serious consequences for millions still facing structural barriers in education, employment and decision-making institutions.
He criticised the forces behind the current anti-reservation campaign for promoting convenient narratives that lack empirical basis, while disregarding persistent caste hierarchies. Drawing a historical parallel, Gowd recalled the strong resistance faced when social justice organisations pushed for the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations. He noted that the opposition during that period, including positions and activities associated with the RSS, remains an important chapter in the history of the reservation debate in India.
While acknowledging that some of these forces now issue statements supporting reservations, Gowd said their stands on the creamy layer, the 50% ceiling and representation in the judiciary require serious public scrutiny.
On the 50% ceiling, he argued that India’s diversity and the size of socially and educationally backward communities cannot be adequately addressed through an inflexible numerical limit that does not reflect the actual extent of backwardness or under-representation. “The debate on reservations must be based on credible caste data, measurable representation and constitutional principles rather than treating the 50% figure as an unquestionable barrier,” he said.
Regarding the creamy layer, Gowd cautioned that the discussion should not be used to weaken the OBC reservation system as a whole. The goal, he said, must be to ensure benefits reach those still facing structural disadvantage while simultaneously strengthening educational and employment opportunities and broader representation for the OBC population.
He also flagged inadequate representation of historically disadvantaged communities in the higher judiciary as a major unfinished agenda. Given the judiciary’s critical role in protecting fundamental rights and shaping public policy, Gowd said a genuine commitment to social justice must include mechanisms for wider and more equitable representation in these institutions.
Beyond merely continuing existing quotas, Gowd stressed the need for genuine and proportionate representation across institutions of power and opportunity. He called for effective implementation of reservation policies in higher education, government employment, promotions (wherever constitutionally provided), and other spaces where under-representation persists. Vacant reserved posts, poor implementation, exclusionary institutional practices and barriers to access must also be addressed, he added.
Calling for unity among Dalit, Bahujan, Tribal and Backward Classes organisations, Gowd said: “As reservation is one of the constitutional tools through which India seeks to correct historical exclusion and create meaningful equality, protecting this framework, improving its implementation and expanding representation where genuine under-representation exists are essential. Our organisations must remain united, democratic and vigilant against every attempt to weaken the constitutional framework of social justice.”