Concept of Social Backwardness

The 1992 Indra Sawhney (Mandal Commission) judgment laid down broad guidelines for affirmative action and reservation policy to be followed by the Government.The judgment was landmark in many ways for it upheld the ceiling of 50% quotas, approved the Mandal Commission’s 11 indicators for “social backwardness”.

11 indicators were laid down under the broad heads of social, economic and educational.

Social:

• Castes/classes considered as socially backward by others
• Castes/classes which mainly depend on manual labour for their livelihood
• Castes/classes where the percentage of married women below 17 is 25% above the state average in rural areas and 10% in urban areas; and that ....