BharatNotes
Mandal Commission
/ˈmʌndəl kəˈmɪʃən/The Second Backward Classes Commission, constituted on 1 January 1979 under the chairmanship of B.P. Mandal, which recommended 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in central government jobs and educational institutions, based on the finding that OBCs comprised approximately 52% of India's population.
Context & Background
Report submitted 31 December 1980; gathered dust for a decade; implemented on 7 August 1990 by PM V.P. Singh, triggering nationwide anti-reservation protests and the self-immolation of student Rajiv Goswami; upheld by the Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney (1992) subject to the 50% ceiling and creamy layer exclusion.
UPSC Exam Relevance
GS1 (Post-Independence India) and GS2 (Polity — Social Justice). Prelims: tested on chairman (B.P. Mandal), year (1979), recommendation (27% OBC), implementation (1990, V.P. Singh), and the Indra Sawhney judgment (1992). Mains: asked to evaluate the social and political impact of the Mandal Commission — did it deepen caste consciousness or advance social justice?
