In Brief
This consolidated batch of appeals concerns the constitutional validity of reservation in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under Article 16(4-A). The Court clarified that no fixed yardstick can be imposed for measuring adequacy of representation; data collection must be cadre-specific (not group-wise); proportionate population representation is not the test; periodic reviews should occur at State-determined intervals; M. Nagaraj operates prospectively from its judgment date; and sampling methods cannot substitute for actual cadre-wise data. Collection of data on groups rather than cadres was held contrary to settled law.
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