In Brief
The Supreme Court resolved a longstanding constitutional question about the scope of reserved-category benefits for migrant Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The Court held that a person recognised as SC/ST in their original State cannot claim such status in another State or Union Territory where they are not notified, except for All-India Services and higher central services recruited on pan-India basis. Pan-India reservation for subordinate posts in Union Territories violates the constitutional scheme under Articles 341 and 342. The Presidential Orders specifying SC/ST lists for each State/Territory cannot be altered except by Parliament. This clarifies the balance between Article 16(4)'s enabling power and Articles 341-342's territorial limitations on SC/ST status.
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