J&K CM Omar Abdullah confirms acceptance of CSC report on reservations, now under legal review. The move aims to rationalise quotas in government jobs and education, balancing merit and affirmative action. Political and constitutional hurdles remain amid criticism from opposition leaders Mehbooba Mufti and Sajad Gani Lone.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has announced that the state cabinet has formally accepted the report submitted by the Cabinet Subcommittee (CSC) on reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. The report has now been forwarded to the law department for legal examination and further comments.
The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, where the CSC’s findings and recommendations were discussed in detail. The subcommittee, composed of five senior ministers from the ruling National Conference (NC), was constituted to explore the possibility of rationalising the existing reservation system to make it more equitable and merit-based.
Currently, under the reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir, open merit candidates—those not falling under any reserved category—can compete for only 30% of the available jobs and seats in professional courses. The remaining 70% is allocated to various reserved categories, including Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), residents of backward areas (RBAs), residents living along the Line of Control (LoC), physically challenged individuals, and other horizontal reservation groups.
Chief Minister Abdullah acknowledged the politically and constitutionally sensitive nature of the issue. “This is not an easy matter,” he said, “as any increase in the share of open merit candidates will necessitate a reduction in quotas currently allocated to other groups.” He emphasized that his government took the bold step of forming the CSC to ensure a balanced and fair approach while addressing growing demands for reform from open merit candidates.
The ongoing demand for greater opportunities for open merit candidates has created political friction across party lines. Abdullah did not mince words when he addressed the criticism from opposition leaders Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Sajad Gani Lone of the People’s Conference. He questioned their current stance, pointing out their silence on the issue during their respective tenures in power.
“When Mehbooba Mufti was Chief Minister, or when she needed votes, she never brought up the issue of reservations. The same is true for Sajad Gani Lone, who was a minister. They are now criticising us, but it is the NC government that has actually taken a concrete step by forming the CSC and accepting its recommendations,” said Abdullah.
The matter is further complicated by constitutional concerns stemming from the post-2019 legal framework governing Jammu and Kashmir. Following the abrogation of Article 370 and the passage of the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019 by Parliament, the region’s legal and administrative structure underwent a major transformation. This raises the fundamental question of whether a Union Territory (UT) government has the legal authority to alter reservations that were put into place through a central law.
Experts suggest that even if the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly passes a resolution in favour of reservation reforms, it may still require parliamentary approval for any legal changes to be valid. This legal ambiguity adds another layer of complexity to an already contentious issue.
Despite these hurdles, Abdullah remains firm in his government’s commitment to transparency and reform. By accepting the CSC report and initiating a legal review through the law department, the NC-led administration has taken a definitive step toward addressing what many believe to be a long-standing imbalance in the reservation policy.
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The decision has sparked debate across the political spectrum, with some lauding the move as a step towards fairness and meritocracy, while others view it as an attempt to dilute affirmative action policies that support marginalized communities.
As the law department scrutinizes the CSC recommendations, all eyes will be on the next steps taken by the government—both in terms of legal validity and political will. Whether this marks the beginning of a shift in the reservation landscape of Jammu and Kashmir remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the issue is far from settled.
