Practice free →
HomeCLAT (NLU Prep)lawlegal_reasoning_rights_justice › 'Affirmative action' policies (e.g., reservation…

'Affirmative action' policies (e.g., reservations under Articles 15(4) and 16(4)) are JUSTIFIED in Indian constitutional jurisprudence primarily by which principle?

AArticle 19 mandates affirmative action
BStrict equal treatment requires identical treatment regardless of context
CRecognition of special needs and historical disadvantage permits differentiated treatment to achieve substantive equality
DArticle 14 requires the state to treat every person identically in all circumstances
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Recognition of special needs and historical disadvantage permits differentiated treatment to achieve substantive equality
The Indian model rejects formal equality alone: substantive equality (Indra Sawhney 1992; M Nagaraj 2006; Jarnail Singh 2018) permits classification of historically disadvantaged groups, with care to avoid creamy layer effects.
Solve this in the app — CLAT (NLU Prep) practice & 24k+ MCQs →
Related questions