Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India, yesterday (Saturday,) approved the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019, paving way for the implementation of the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019.
After the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the bill, which guarantees reservation to the economically weaker sections of the society under the General Category, received the Presidential approval.
According to the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, anyone with an annual income less than Rs. 8 lakhs and owning less than 5 acres of land will benefit from the bill. The bill will ensure 10 % reservation to the upper class in terms of being admitted to educational institutions and being given government jobs.
Although opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC,) the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) opposed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, it became a law, having received the majority votes in the Parliament.
In order to enforce the Act, amendments were made to Article 15 and Article 16 of the Constitution of India. These Articles originally stated, reservations are to be made only for the social and educational backward classes of the society.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, who introduced the bill in the Rajya Sabha, clarified and said, the bill will not affect the existing 50 % reservation. The Scheduled Castes (SCs,) the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Other Backward Classes (OBs) are provided 50 % reservation as per the Constitution.
Although Youth for Equality, a group against caste based reservation, on the 10th of January, filed a petition against the bill in the Supreme Court, the President of India approved the bill.
The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, will help those belonging to communities such as the Brahmins, the Rajputs (Thakurs,) the Jats, the Marathas, the Bhumihars and several traders of the Kapu and Kamma communities.
