Reservation in India - Timeline

· 1918-1919 :

Reservations in government jobs were introduced in 1918 in Mysore in favour of a number of castes and communities that had little share in the administration. In another instance, upon petition from the Muslim community, the British government at the time made provisions in the Government of India acts of 1909 and 1919 granting Muslims share in the administration and other facilities.

· 1931 :

Ambedkar pressed for a separate electorate for the depressed classes at Round Table Conference in London held from November 1930 to January 1931 while representing the depressed classes there.

· 1932 :

Ambedkar and Gandhiji signed the Poona Pact. According to the pact the separate electorate demand was replaced with special concessions like reserved seats in the regional legislative assemblies and Central Council of States.

· 1935 :

In the communal award of 1935, legislative seats were reserved for members of the Muslim, Sikh, Maratha, Parsi, Christian, European, and Anglo-Indian communities. In addition seats were reserved for depressed classes within the Hindu community.

· 1942 :

The scheduled castes were given 8.5% reservation in central services and other facilities in 1942.

· 1947:

In independent India, provision for reservation in legislature was made in the constitution until 1960, recently extended until 2010. Provision for public services was made at the same time with no time limit.

· 1950:

In constitution of India, 15% of educational and civil service seats were reserved for "scheduled castes" and 7.5% for "scheduled tribes."

· 1963 :

The Supreme Court of India ruled that total reservations could not exceed 50%.

· 1980 :

Mandal Comission recommended changes to quotas, increasing them by 27% to 49.5%. (limited by 1963 act). The commission estimated that 52% of the total population (excluding SCs and STs), belonging to 3,743 different castes and communities was backward.

· 1990 :

The implementation of the Mandal commissions' recommendations in the case of government jobs by VP Singh. Despite widespread agitation (mostly among students), reservation for the backward classes were upheld to the extent of 27 per cent (this was in addition to the 22.5% already reserved for scheduled castes and tribes, bringing the total of `open' seats to only 50.5%). Rajiv Goswami, student of Delhi University, self-immolated himself in protest of the government's actions.

· 1992 :

Panchayati Raj Act, 1992 (73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment) came into effect granting not less than 33% reservation to women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions or local bodies.

· 1993 :

Upheld 27% reservation for OBCs subject to the exclusion of socially-advanced persons/sections (creamy layer) from amongst the OBCs. Children of persons with annual income greater than Rs 1 lakh were also to be excluded. The limit was later revised to Rs 2.5 lakh in 2004.

· 1996 :

Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda made the actual promise for reservation of seats for women in Parliament and State Assemblies.

· 2005 (Aug) :

The Supreme Court abolished all caste-based reservations in unaided private colleges.

· 2005 (Dec 21) :

After Arjun Singh's move the Lok Sabha passed the 104th Constitution Amendment Act 2005, rolling back the SC judgment by introducing a new clause into Article 15 to allow for reservations for schedule castes and scheduled tribes as well as other backward classes in private unaided educational institutions other than minority institutions.

· 2006 (Apr-May) :

Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh declared government's intention to fix a quota for the Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in the premier government educational institutions like the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) and Indian Institute of Managements and other institutions of higher learning. Widespread protests are taking place.