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Q40 (IAS/2023) Polity & Governance › Fundamental Rights, DPSP & Fundamental Duties › Reservations and efficiency Official Key

Consider the following statements : Statement-I : The Supreme Court of India has held in some judgements that the reservation policies made under Article 16(4) of the Constitution of India would be limited by Article 335 for maintenance of efficiency of administration. Statement-II : Article 335 of the Constitution of India defines the term 'efficiency of administration'. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 3 because Statement-I is correct, while Statement-II is incorrect.

Statement-I is correct: In the landmark Indra Sawhney vs. Union of India (1992) case, the Supreme Court held that Article 16(4) must be read in conjunction with Article 335. It affirmed that while providing reservations for backward classes, the "efficiency of administration" must be maintained, as mandated by Article 335. This established a constitutional limitation on the extent of reservation policies.

Statement-II is incorrect: Although Article 335 mentions that the claims of SCs/STs shall be taken into consideration "consistently with the maintenance of efficiency of administration," the Constitution does not define the term "efficiency of administration." The interpretation of this term has been left to judicial discretion and administrative guidelines rather than a specific constitutional definition.

Therefore, since Statement-I aligns with judicial precedents and Statement-II falsely claims a constitutional definition exists, Option 3 is the only valid choice.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following statements : Statement-I : The Supreme Court of India has held in some judgements that the reservation policies …
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 5/10 · 5/10
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This is a classic 'Definition Trap' question. Statement I is standard static polity covered in Laxmikanth (Indra Sawhney context). Statement II tests your familiarity with the 'Bare Act'—specifically, knowing what the Constitution does NOT define. If you rely only on summaries without checking the original text for definitions, you lose marks here.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Have any Supreme Court of India judgments held that reservation policies under Article 16(4) of the Constitution are limited by Article 335's requirement for maintenance of efficiency of administration?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 8: Fundamental Rights > II Equality of Opportunity in Public Employment > p. 83
Presence: 5/5
“Though the Court has rejected the additional reservation of 10% for other economically backward sections, it upheld the constitutional validity of 27% reservation for the OBCs with certain conditions, viz, (a) The advanced sections among the OBCs (the creamy layer) should be excluded from the list of beneficiaries of reservation. (b) No reservation in promotions; reservation should be confined to initial appointments only. Any existing reservation in promotions can continue for five years only (i.e., upto 1997). (c) The total reserved quota should not exceed 50% except in some extraordinary situations. This rule should be applied every year. over-inclusion and under-inclusion in the list of OBCs. ( £ ) No relaxations in qualifying marks and standards of evaluation in matters of reservation in promotions due to the requirement of maintenance of efficiency in administration under Article 335.”
Why this source?
  • Directly links Article 335's maintenance-of-efficiency requirement to limits on reservation practices by stating there should be no relaxations in qualifying marks or standards due to Article 335.
  • Refers to the Supreme Court's treatment of OBC reservation where conditions (including maintenance of efficiency) were imposed while upholding constitutional validity.
Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 8: FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES > CHAP. 8] Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties 113 > p. 113
Presence: 4/5
“However, the Constitution (82nd Amendment) Act, 2000 inserted a proviso to Article 335 almost closing the door for consideration of maintenance of efficiency of administration in the making of appointments to services and posts. The concession relating to reservation would be applicable only when a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe candidate came within the number of available vacancies. 149 . It is to be noted carefully that the prohibition against discrimination in the matter of public employment is attracted where the discrimination is based only on any of the grounds enumerated, namely, religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth or residence.”
Why this source?
  • Explains that the 82nd Amendment inserted a proviso to Article 335, 'almost closing the door' on considering maintenance of efficiency in appointments—implying prior judicial consideration of Article 335 as a limiting factor.
  • Shows a constitutional response to earlier judicial application of Article 335, indicating courts had relied on it to limit reservation policy.
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