Criteria for Inclusion in ST List

On February 20, Rajasthan State Assembly passed legislation providing 5% reservation to Gujjars and four other nomadic communities, classifying them as “extremely backward classes”.

Specific Context in Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, demand by Gujjars has a specific context. In Rajasthan, the community is currently eligible for reservations as an OBC community. They had in the mid-and late-2000s agitated for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category, in keeping with the way they are classified in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

This demand was denied because tribal status, as defined in the Constitution’s Fifth Scheduled, involves identifiable characteristics, and not just economic underdevelopment.