During a recent hearing on the OBC reservation in Maharashtra's local body elections, Justice Surya Kant of the Supreme Court made a strong observation comparing the reservation system in India to a train journey.
"The thing is, in this country, the reservation business has become like a railway. Those who have entered the bogie, they don't want anyone else to enter. That is the whole game. That is precisely the game of the petitioner also,"
— Justice Surya Kant, Supreme Court
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This comment came during a hearing before a bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh. The court was considering the legality of the Banthia Commission’s recommendations, which allowed reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Maharashtra's local body elections.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioner, questioned the Commission’s approach. He argued that the Commission granted political reservations to OBCs without determining whether these groups were politically backward, which is different from being socially or educationally backward. According to him, OBCs cannot automatically be assumed to fall into the category of political backwardness.
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During the exchange, Justice Surya Kant further pointed out the complexity of reservation policies and how inclusivity demands broader recognition of different backward classes.
“When you follow the principle of inclusivity, the States are bound to identify more classes. There will be social backward class, politically backward class, and economically backward classes. Why should they be deprived of the benefit? Why should it be confined to one particular family or groups?”
— Justice Surya Kant, Supreme Court
Sankaranarayanan agreed with the court’s view, adding humorously:
“And bogies are being added at the back also,”
— Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Senior Advocate
This exchange underlined the challenges of managing reservation benefits fairly among various groups. The bench also stressed that delaying the local elections further is not an option, despite the unresolved reservation issue.
“The long overdue elections to the local bodies in the State of Maharashtra cannot be delayed further because of the issue of OBC reservations,”
— Supreme Court Bench (oral observation)
The matter was deferred to allow the State to present its position. Previously, in August 2022, the Supreme Court had ordered a status quo on OBC reservations in the State’s local bodies, which had delayed the elections.
This hearing brings back focus on the need to clearly define political backwardness and maintain a balance between inclusivity and fairness in India's reservation framework.
Case : MANGESH SHANKAR SASANE Vs STATE OF MAHARASHTRA | W.P.(C) No. 471/2025
