Reservation report submitted, decision to be taken in cabinet meet: Sakeena Itoo

June 10, 2025 by News Desk

Minister for Education Sakeena Itoo, on Tuesday, said that the cabinet sub-committee on reservations has drafted its report and the issue will be taken during the next cabinet meeting.

“The Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to examine the issue of reservations has drafted its report within the stipulated timeframe of 6 months. The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets,” Sakeena Itoo said.

Prior to the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Jammu Kashmir had its own distinct legal framework, which the central government claimed did not fully adhere to national reservation norms. However, the most significant change to the region’s reservation structure came not immediately after 2019, but through the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 26, 2023 and passed in Parliament in December the same year.

The Bill formally brought the region in line with national standards by replacing vague terms like “weak and under-privileged classes” with the constitutionally recognized “Other Backward Classes (OBC)” and also laid the foundation for extending the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) quota.

Following the passage of this bill, over 60% of government jobs and education seats were allocated to various reserved categories, leaving less than 40% for general or “open merit” candidates. This restructuring triggered growing dissatisfaction among aspirants from the general category, particularly upper-class candidates.

Many felt their opportunities for employment and higher education were shrinking, and calls for a rollback of the quota system gained momentum on social media. No major protests emerged after the passage of the bill. The Gujjar Bakerwal community protested for several months stating the new bill would disproportionately allocate reservations to the non deserving candidates.

The situation, however, changed after the return of an elected government in October 2024, led by the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). With the restoration of local governance, protests began to surface, culminating in a notable demonstration on December 23, 2024, when dozens of students and job aspirants gathered outside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence on Gupkar Road in Srinagar. It marked the first organized protest against the reservation policy since its implementation under the 2023 legislation.

Significantly, the protest was joined by Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a Member of Parliament and senior JKNC leader, signaling rare political support for the concerns of general category candidates. Demonstrators demanded a revision of the existing quota structure and called for restoring the open merit quota to at least 50%, arguing that the current framework overlooked both merit and economic hardship among unreserved sections.

In response to the mounting pressure, the newly elected JKNC government had already constituted a three-member Cabinet Sub-Committee on December 10, 2024, to review the reservation framework. However, the protest on December 23 intensified scrutiny on the administration.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah later met with student representatives and assured them that a resolution would be explored and finalized within six months.