Mandal Commission

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The Mandal Commission or the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission (SEBC), was established in India in 1979 by the Janata Party government under Prime Minister Morarji Desai with a mandate to "identify the socially or educationally backward classes" of India.^[1] It was headed by B. P. Mandal, an Indian member of parliament, to consider the question of reservations for people to address caste discrimination, and to use eleven social, economic, and educational indicators to determine backwardness. In 1980, based on its rationale that OBCs ("Other backward classes") identified on the basis of caste, social, economic indicators made up 52% of India's population, the commission's report recommended that members of Other Backward Classes (OBC) be granted reservations to 27% of jobs under the central government and public sector undertakings, thus making the total number of reservations for SC, ST and OBC to 49.5%.^[2][1]

Though the report had been completed in 1980, the V. P. Singh government declared its intent to implement the report in August 1990, leading to widespread student protests.^[3] As per the Constitution of India, Article 15 (4) states, " Nothing in this Article or in clause(2) of Article 29 shall prevent the State from making any provision for the advancement of any socially or educationally backward classes of citizens or for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribes". The Mandal Commission had therefore created a report using the data of the 1931 census, the last caste-aware census, extrapolated with some sample studies. V. P. Singh was accused of using the Mandal Report which was ignored by the Janata government. It was a social revolution and affirmative action. Suddenly, nearly 75% of the Indian population got preferential treatment in educational admissions and government employment. Earlier 25% population of India which is SC ST was covered and now more than 50% of Other Backward Class came under reservation.^[4] The youth went for massive protest in large numbers in the nation's campuses, resulting in many self immolations by students.^[5]

Indira Sawney challenged the Mandal Commission and government decision to implement it in the Supreme Court in front of a nine Judge bench. After hearing both sides the bench passed the Act with a provision that maximum reservation can be 50% of the educational seats or job vacancies and creamy layer of income will be applicable. Presently the creamy layer limit is Family income of ₹8 lakhs per year. It was implemented in 1992.^[6]