The ruling by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court that, at the level of admission to the super speciality courses, merit it alone can be a basis of selection, and that "special provisions" were contrary to the national interest, is welcome. The apex court's verdict does more than strike down as unconstitutional the Uttar Pradesh Post-Graduate Medical Act, 1997, and the Government Order dated June 7, 1997 of Madhya Pradesh, which reduced the minimum qualifying marks for the reserved category candidates for admission to post-graduate medical courses. It also provides the opportunity to reopen the entire debate on reservation as an instrument of social justice, and to provoke a much-deserved rethink on a reservation policy that has lost its direction ...

The apex court's judgement must become the moment to question whether reservations are to forever remain the irreversible largesse doled out by a self-serving leadership for electoral gain. This question assumes special significance in the context of demands by various communities such as the Jats, Vishnois, Mevs and Kayamkhanis for inclusion in the OBC list on the eve of another general election ... The time has come to draw a few lines and to introduce a few caveats in the reservation policy. Without these, the programme of social justice is in danger of being drained of all its meaning and relevance.

Shahabuddin's Letter to The Pioneer, 18 August, 1999

Apropos your editorial "Welcome Verdict" while supporting the Supreme Court judgement in principle, one should not lose sight of the surge of identity in our multi-segmented and multi-layered society and the consequent aspiration of each segment and each layer to have a share of power at every level.

There is no alternative but for the country to move on towards universal reservation for each self-conscious, - identifiable and numerically viable group to be given a quota, proportionate to its population and degree of backwardness.

And the beneficiaries of all quota shall be subject to common economic and minimum eligibility criteria. The remaining pool, whatever its size, shall be accessible to all on merit

What is urgently needed is universalisation of school education and reservation in higher and professional education.