In Brief
A Constitution Bench addressed whether the M. Nagaraj judgment (2006) on SC/ST reservation in promotions required reconsideration. The Court held that Nagaraj's finding that States must collect quantifiable data on backwardness of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes contradicts the nine-Judge Indra Sawhney judgment, which presumed SC/STs to be backward once included in the Presidential List. The Court upheld the creamy layer principle (excluding advanced individuals) as sound constitutional law under Articles 14 and 16(1), distinguishing it from List modification under Articles 341-342. The Court affirmed that Articles 16(4-A) and 16(4-B) do not violate the Constitution's basic structure, retaining the 50% ceiling and efficiency safeguards, and left determination of adequate representation in promotions to States' discretion rather than mandating proportionality to population.
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