Assuming that equating Schedule Caste and OBC status with social and economic backwardness is not a sweeping generalisation, the Supreme Court’s verdict to uphold the 27 per cent OBC quota pits two compelling democratic values against each other. For even as it is important to make our society more egalitarian, it is crucial to keep that which represents the best of India surging ahead. The dilemma is that both views stem from equally valid concerns.

Advocates of meritocracy believe that education is an investment that must be earned on the basis of personal merit and diligence. For them, the main concern is that giving away half the total seats doesn’t only lower the overall standard and global competitiveness of Indian institutions and force India’s brightest students to turn to the West. Equally, the worry for them is that if such a step does not spur corruption, it encourages the beneficiaries of reservations not only to internalise the dangerous belief that a lower set of personal and professional standards is permissible for them but also that they have a right to be exempted from the exacting requirements of academia because they are victims. That is, reservations encourage grade inflation, lower overall standards and erode personal ethics.

Proponents of entitlement argue that every student in India, regardless of circumstances, must have the right to access that education which leads to upward social and economic mobility. They point out that even seats falling within the reserved quota are allotted on the basis of merit, albeit merit within the SC and OBC category. Besides, they say, merit is not only an inherent ability but also the outcome of the socio-economic circumstances into which a child is born. Given the right environment, opportunities, and assistance, they believe, students from socially and economically deprived backgrounds can shine as bright as any other. They assert that the reality is that there exists a professional and political elite in this country whose agenda is served by keeping certain sections of society perpetually underprivileged and undereducated.

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