Dweep Tulika

New Delhi, April 20: The Supreme Court of India has reiterated that Scheduled Caste (SC) status is restricted to individuals professing Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism, in line with the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950. The Court clarified that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste who converts to another religion, such as Christianity or Islam, ceases to be recognised as an SC from the moment of conversion. As a result, such individuals are no longer entitled to reservation benefits or legal protections available under laws including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The ruling came while upholding a lower court decision and reaffirming the existing constitutional framework governing SC recognition. The bench observed that the legal status of Scheduled Castes is explicitly linked to the three specified religions under the Presidential Order issued in 1950. Originally limited to Hindus, the scope of SC recognition was extended to Sikh...

New Delhi, 20 April 2026: The Supreme Court of India has clarified a key aspect of recruitment policy, stating that candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) are eligible to compete for general (unreserved) category government jobs, provided their selection is based purely on merit. In its clarification, the court emphasized that if a candidate from a reserved category secures marks equal to or higher than the cut-off prescribed for the general category without availing any relaxation—such as age limits, application fee concessions, or qualification criteria—they must be treated as a general category candidate. The ruling reinforces the principle that merit-based selection should remain independent of social category when no reservation benefits are utilized. However, the court also drew a clear distinction regarding the use of reservation benefits. It stated that if a candidate avails any form of relaxation or concession pro...

New Delhi, 25 February 2026: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has temporarily halted the distribution of its newly released Class 8 Social Science textbook after identifying inappropriate content in one of its chapters. According to an official statement, the textbook titled “Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol II” was released on February 24, 2026. During review, certain inappropriate material and errors of judgment were reportedly found in Chapter 4, titled “The Role of Judiciary in our Society.” Following the development, the Ministry of Education directed that distribution of the textbook be placed on hold until further orders. NCERT clarified that the inclusion of the content was unintentional and reaffirmed its respect for the judiciary, describing it as a protector of the Constitution and Fundamental Rights. The council further stated that the chapter would be revised in consultation with relevant authorities, and a corrected version of...