Madhya Pradesh OBC Quota Case: 56% Face Caste Discrimination Despite Constitutional Protections

Madhya Pradesh has submitted a comprehensive 15,000-page affidavit to the Supreme Court advocating for an increase in OBC reservation quotas.

The Madhya Pradesh government's Supreme Court affidavit on OBC reservation begins with a paradoxical stance. It portrays ancient India as a merit-based society without caste divisions, attributing the introduction of hierarchy and discrimination to foreign invasions. While celebrating the Vedic period as an era of equality and harmony, the document later contradicts itself by citing caste-based exploitation of farmers and artisans as a cause of India's economic decline—the very social injustice it initially claimed did not exist in early India.

This contradictory historical narrative serves as the foundation for the government's legal justification to increase OBC reservation to 27 percent in the state. The defense is framed within nation-building rhetoric and the government slogan "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas."

This legal battle unfolds against a backdrop of persistent caste discrimination in Madhya Pradesh. Recently, a young man from the OBC Kushwaha community was forced to wash a Brahmin man's feet over an AI-generated image in Damoh—highlighting that such incidents are not isolated occurrences.

Parts of the government's extensive affidavit, accessed by NDTV, acknowledge widespread caste-based discrimination throughout Madhya Pradesh. The document recommends comprehensive structural reforms, including 35 percent reservation for OBCs in education and government employment, plus 50 percent quota for OBC women in welfare programs such as Ladli Behna and Ladli Beti.

The justification is compelling: with over half of OBC women still dependent on manual labor for survival, social justice initiatives cannot afford to ignore gender dimensions.

A confidential 2023 survey conducted by Dr BR Ambedkar Social Science University in Mhow forms part of the government's submission, revealing the extent of caste discrimination in the state.

Among nearly 10,000 families surveyed across rural and urban areas, approximately 56 percent (5,578 families) admitted they must stand when upper-caste individuals pass their homes, unable to remain seated on cots or platforms as a sign of "respect." Additionally, 3,797 families reported ongoing untouchability practices in their villages, with neighborhoods segregated by caste to separate them from upper castes. Another 3,763 families stated that upper-caste individuals refuse to share meals with them, while 3,238 families reported that priests decline to perform religious ceremonies in their homes, citing caste reasons.

The findings extend beyond social segregation into religious institutions. About 57 percent (5,697 families) reported that people from their caste or community are excluded from appointments as temple priests or heads of monasteries and ashrams. Another 5,123 families believe they are denied entry to religious educational institutions, while 2,957 families reported they are not even considered eligible to pursue priesthood courses. The report notes that in several districts, decisions about "who may touch the altar, who may chant, and who may serve God" remain determined by birth rather than faith. Despite constitutional protections, the authors observe that caste continues to be the most powerful determinant of dignity, occupation, and opportunity in Madhya Pradesh.

The survey's economic and educational findings are equally concerning. Over 76 percent of respondents had not studied beyond Class 12, with just 15.6 percent holding bachelor's degrees and 8.1 percent master's degrees. The report connects this educational and occupational disparity to chronic poverty. Approximately 94 percent of families reported taking loans for weddings, farming, or children's education, and only 27 percent live in permanent housing. Despite working primarily in agriculture and crafts, nearly half of those surveyed blamed industrialization and mechanization for destroying their livelihoods. Others pointed to social prejudice against manual labor as forcing them out of work.

The study highlights that women in more than 50 percent of OBC households engage in daily wage or agricultural labor, making them particularly vulnerable within an already marginalized community. It recommends targeted protection through 50 percent reservation in women-oriented schemes like Ladli Behna and Ladli Beti, arguing that such affirmative action would address both caste and gender imbalances.

Social exclusion extends into everyday rituals of life and death. More than half the surveyed families reported that upper-caste individuals refuse to share home-cooked meals with them, and 38 percent said they are denied even drinking water. About 61 percent stated that Brahmin priests do not perform last rites or naming ceremonies for their community, and 52 percent reported having no access to religious education. The report emphasizes that these are not isolated grievances but symptoms of a society that continues to determine dignity through caste.

The Madhya Pradesh government's affidavit argues that these data points provide empirical evidence that Other Backward Classes remain among the state's most deprived social groups. It calls for a new social policy framework to dismantle caste barriers across rural and urban areas, supported by continuous awareness campaigns and administrative monitoring.

Madhya Pradesh is seeking to increase OBC reservation from 14 percent to 27 percent, which would push the state's total reservation beyond the 50 percent cap established by the Supreme Court.

The state government justifies this move by citing "extraordinary circumstances" and arguing that while OBCs constitute a significant portion of the state's population, they remain severely underrepresented in government jobs and educational institutions.