"Article 16 of the Indian Constitution guarantees equal opportunity to all citizens of India in matters related to public employment. However, there are certain exceptions of the Article 16". Explain the reservation poli

Article 16(1) and (2) of the Constitution of India lay down provisions for equal opportunity of employment in the public sector. However, there are certain exceptions provided in Article 16(3), 16(4), 16(4A), 16(4B), 16(5) & 16(6). These are as under: Parliament can make a law that in regard to a class or classes of employment or appointment to an office under the Government of a State on a Union Territory, under any local or other authority within the State or Union Territory, residence within that State or Union Territory prior to such employment or appointment shall be an essential qualification. [(Article 16(3)]. A provision can be made for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which in the opinion of the State is not adequately represented in the services under the State. [Article 16(4)]. Parliament can make law for reservation in matters of promotion, with consequential seniority, to any class or classes of posts in the services under the State in favour of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes which, in the opinion of the State, are not adequately represented in the services under the State. [Article 16(4A)]. The State can consider any unfilled vacancies of a year which are reserved for being filled up in that year in accordance with any provision for reservation made under clause (4) or clause (4A) as a separate class of vacancies to be filled up in any succeeding year or years and such class of vacancies shall not be considered together with the vacancies of the year in which they are being filled up for determining the ceiling of fifty per cent. reservation on total number of vacancies of that year. [Article 16(4B)]. A law shall not be invalid if it provides that the incumbent of an office in connection with the affair of any religious or denominational institution or any member of the governing body thereof shall be a person professing a particular religion or belonging to a particular denomination. (Article 16(5)]. Parliament can make law for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes mentioned in clause (4), in addition to the existing reservation and subject to a maximum of ten per cent. of the posts in each category. [Article 16(6)]. Using the exceptions, the government, both at the central and state levels, have reserved government jobs for STs, SCs, OBCs, women and economically weaker section of the unreserved castes. These reservations are part of 'affirmative action' policies of the government.