The Mandal Commission decoded: How OBC reservation came into effect

As the Congress party and its INDIA bloc partners push for a nationwide caste census, the term "Mandal politics" seems to have returned to political discourse ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Bihar caste survey that was released on October 2 by the state government showed that extremely backward classes (EBCs) and other backward classes (OBCs) made up nearly 63 per cent of Bihar's population. This is likely to affect the reservation in the state, as stated by the ruling coalition party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The snowball effect led to the demand for a nationwide caste census by the Opposition and is being deemed the "Mandal 2.0". Here is a closer look at the Mandal Commission and its impact on affirmative action in the country.

The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission (SEBC), better known as the Mandal Commission, was set up on January 1, 1979. The formation of the Commission was announced on December 20, 1978, by then Prime Minister Morarji Desai of the Janata Party. The Commission became known as the Mandal Commission, named after its chairman, B P Mandal.

Before the Mandal Commission, India had witnessed several initiatives for reservation. The Constitution of India, adopted in 1950, provided for reservations to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). However, it became evident that OBCs needed similar support. Various states in south India implemented state-level reservation policies, but a comprehensive, nationwide policy was lacking.

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The Kaka Kalekar Commision of 1953 was the first Commission for backward classes. Despite producing a report listing nearly 2,399 communities as "backward", the Commission had no substantial impact.

The Commission's primary duty was to address issues faced by the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). It had to establish what criteria would define India's "socially and educationally backward classes". They had to recommend steps that could be taken to help advance these classes and also assess reservations for state and central government jobs.

The Commission adopted a systematic approach, which included conducting surveys, gathering data, and consulting experts to identify communities that warranted reservation benefits.

The criteria the Commission established to determine backward classes included being considered backward by other castes or classes, manual labour dependence and family assets significantly below the state average.

The Commission extended its assessment to non-Hindus (e.g., Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists) if they were previously from "untouchable" castes or shared occupational names like "dhobi", "lohar", "nai", or "teli", etc.

In 1980, the Commission also conducted a nationwide socioeconomic survey, gathering data from villages and urban areas across 405 districts. Combining this data with the 1961 census, state backward class lists, and personal knowledge, the Commission compiled a national list of 3,743 OBC and 2,108 "depressed backward classes."

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The Commission's findings further indicated that India's population comprised around 16 per cent non-Hindus, 17.5 per cent "forward castes," 44 per cent "other backward classes," and 22.5 per cent SCs and STs. Considering the non-Hindu population included approximately eight per cent of "other backward classes," the total proportion of "other backward classes" (Hindu and non-Hindu) amounted to 52 per cent (44 per cent + 8 per cent) of India's population. These classifications were vital in providing insights into India's post-independence social fabric and would go on to guide affirmative action policies.

On December 31, 1980, the Mandal Commission submitted its report to President N S Reddy. The recommendations included a 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in government jobs and educational institutions.

The Commission would have recommended 52 per cent reservation for OBCs in central government jobs. However, the Supreme Court had ruled that the total proportion of reservations (including SC, ST, and OBC) had to be below 50 per cent under Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution.

Nearly a decade later, on August 7, 1990, Prime Minister V P Singh of the National Front coalition announced the implementation of the Mandal Commission's recommendations. PM Singh stated before the Parliament that OBCs would be given 27 per cent reservation in central government jobs and other public sector units.

This was met with widespread protests and debates. Critics argued that the reservation policies could lead to reverse discrimination and lower merit-based selection.

On November 16, 1992, the Supreme Court upheld the Commission's quota for OBC, and the recommendations were gradually enforced. By the time Prime Minister Narasimha Rao of the Congress Party announced widespread implementation of the recommendations in September 1993, there was little to no public resistance. Reservations for OBCs in educational institutes did not take place till 2006, and still, many educational institutes do not have any reservation in teaching posts.