Access to seats in various Legislative bodies, recruitment to jobs in Government Departments and enrolment in educational institutions across the country are governed by the Constitutional measure, known commonly as reservation with the primary objective of enhancing the social and educational status of underprivileged communities and thus improve their lives. The policy of nourishing the target sections of the land’s population has endured for seven decades and more, resulting in quota system favouring certain castes. The country’s historically disadvantaged sections with well-marked ethnic identity are currently identified as dalits, accounting for more than 250 million (about one-sixth), an estimated presence in the land. The numbers of people seeking Government jobs and enrolment in educational institutions managed by the Government, particularly in those offering professional courses, being a significantly low fraction of the numbers who are eligible, ignoring diversity of ethnic composition of the population, and the quota system, has raised the issue of merit being overridden by reservation, being debated raising only heat and dust over the years.

The only yardstick to determine merit being accepted as marks scored in the qualifying examinations, added to the feature of the disadvantaged sections not scoring marks enough to cross the bar, objectively in either favouring or disfavouring the quota system seems to have taken a back seat in the circles made to remain outside the ambit of the Constitutional measure.

Scoring marks close to the maximum in the different qualifying examinations is commonly perceived as merit. Scoring low marks, dreaded by both the students and their parents, leaving them stranded badly both in the case of accessing Government job and enrolment in educational institutions, is dismissed as academic shortcoming. In this context, one cannot be faulted to indulge in lateral thinking that errors of action are the result of errors of perception. The intent of the aforementioned Constitutional measure namely, achieving equality (as a right) cannot be denied. The laws framed and the manner of implementing them to ensure equality have both suffered adverse response in various circles.

Merit, rated according to marks scored has its merit, irrespective of the diverse ethnic sections of society. Where it gets flawed is when it triggers overestimation of our prowess at different pursuits. Merit or no merit, while it is exciting to talk about quota system, for or against, the unquestionable option is to acquire skills in pursuing any calling for earning a livelihood as comfortable as merit facilitates. Lastly, reservation has its merits.