Upholding Equality in Education: Supreme Court Directs IITs to Follow Reservation Policy

The Supreme Court has instructed the Centre to adhere to the reservation policy for admission in research degree programs and recruitment of faculty members at IITs as outlined in the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers& Cadre) Act, 2019.

This directive from the top court comes after a plea from S N Pandey, who has been pushing for the Centre and IITs to follow the reservation policy for admissions and faculty recruitment, citing violations of the guidelines.

During a hearing before Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar, it was noted that the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers& Cadre) Act, 2019 mandates reservation and is currently in effect.

The counsel for the respondent highlighted that due to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers& Cadre) Act, 2019, reservation is now applicable to all Central Educational Institutions, including IITs.

The bench directed the concerned respondents to adhere to the reservation guidelines outlined in the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers& Cadre) Act, 2019.

The Act specifies quotas in teaching positions at central institutions for individuals from Scheduled Castes/Tribes, socially and educationally backward classes, and those from economically weaker sections. Pandey’s plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, also seeks mechanisms for addressing harassment complaints by students/scholars and the formation of a committee to evaluate faculty performance.

It also calls for the cancellation of appointments of non-performing faculty members due to reservation violations and the establishment of a transparent recruitment policy.

The plea argues that the admissions process for research programs and faculty appointments at IITs is unconstitutional, illegal, and arbitrary, with a lack of adherence to reservation guidelines mandated by the constitution.

It alleges that IITs are not following a transparent faculty recruitment process, leading to undeserving candidates gaining entry through connections, which could fuel corruption, favoritism, and discrimination, impacting the institutions’ rankings and the country’s technological advancement.

The plea further states that the IITs are disregarding reservation policies that allocate reservations to socially marginalized communities, including SC (15 percent), ST (17 percent), and OBCs (27 percent).