Adivasi-Dalit Groups Call for Kerala Hartal against Supreme Court Verdict on Reservation Sub-Categorisation

Various Adivasi-Dalit organizations have called for a state-wide hartal in Kerala on August 21 to protest a Supreme Court verdict allowing sub-categorisation within SC/ST reservations. The protest seeks legislation to overturn the decision, which the groups claim divides the SC/ST list and introduces a creamy layer.

Various Adivasi-Dalit organizations announced a state-wide hartal in Kerala on August 21 to protest the recent Supreme Court verdict on sub-categorising reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). The leaders claim the verdict aims to divide the SC/ST list and introduce a 'creamy layer' within these categories.

The hartal will not affect Wayanad district due to recent natural disasters, according to the organizations. This state-wide protest is part of the Bharat Bandh called by Bhim Army and various Dalit-Bahujan movements, with a primary demand for Parliament to pass legislation overturning the Supreme Court decision.

Despite assurances from the BJP government that it won't implement the creamy layer, the central government has yet to acknowledge the basis for this division. A seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, ruled that states can sub-classify communities within the SC list using empirical data. Justice B R Gavai noted that states must identify the creamy layer among SCs and STs and exclude them from reservation benefits.

(With inputs from agencies.)