Dr Vikas Divyakirti, founder and MD of Drishti IAS, has said there are many loopholes in the reservation policy and that only about 10-20% of those benefitting from this genuinely come from deserving backgrounds. "Reservation as a policy needs to be there. But the reservation system we have maintained over the years has many loopholes," he said in a podcast with ANI Editor Smita Prakash.
UPSC's recruitment process came under the spotlight after it emerged that trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar allegedly forged her documents to enter the civil services. Following her case, social media was flooded with cases where some candidates appeared to be beneficiaries of reservation even when they did not deserve it.
"I was in the general category. My rank was 384. My friends with ranks around 415-420 have become IPS and IAS officers. But I ended up in Group B service, finally in CSS. So, in a way, I have seen this. Despite this, I am in favor of reservation," Divyakirti said.
He said there is no creamy layer in the reservation for SC-ST categories. In a 2004-5 ruling, the Supreme Court introduced the concept of the creamy layer in SC-ST promotions, ensuring promotions are given based on specific reasons. Otherwise, there is no creamy layer in SC-ST.
"I personally know a family where the father was an IAS officer, and the mother held a high position. All three children are civil servants - either IAS or IPS and their spouses are also IAS or IPS. I don't understand why this family should get SC-ST reservation," he wondered.
The Drishti IAS MD suggested rationalisation of the reservation to uplift the entire community, not just a few families. "In the country, 8% are ST and 16% are SC, roughly translating to around 11 crore STs and 22 crore SCs, making a total of 33 crores. The number of government jobs available in a year might be around 2 crores at most, and the SC-ST share in these jobs, even at 24%, would be around 40-45 lakhs. Out of these 33 crores, we need to think about who benefits from these 40-45 lakh reservations."
"When we provide reservations, it should be scientific and logical," he said, adding that like there was elitism in the Hindu society with certain castes at the center, now some families within reserved communities have become elite and do not want to lose the benefits of reservation.
"These elites have influenced their entire community to feel that reservation is being taken away from them. The truth is, there should be a classification within SC-ST just as there is in the OBC."
In the OBC reservation, a concept of a creamy layer was introduced in the Indra Sawhney case, ensuring that if someone belongs to the creamy layer, they are treated as general. This creates a significant difference as a general candidate can become an IAS with a 75 rank, while an OBC can become even with a 400 rank, Divyakirit said.
The rule states that if your parents are in Class I jobs, you don’t get an OBC reservation; if both are in Group B, you don’t get it either. But if they are in Group C or D, even with an income above Rs 8 lakhs, you can get an OBC reservation, the UPSC mentor said.