Reservation

noun (countable and uncountable)

/ˌrezəˈveɪʃən/

A constitutionally mandated policy of setting aside a specified percentage of seats in public employment, educational institutions, and legislative bodies for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, as remedial justice for historical discrimination. Articles 15(4), 16(4), and 16(4A)–(4B) of the Constitution provide the legal basis, and the Supreme Court capped total reservations at 50% in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992). The 103rd Constitutional Amendment (2019) additionally introduced 10% EWS reservation for economically weaker sections among the unreserved categories.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Supreme Court's nine-judge bench verdict in Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India (2022) upheld the 10% EWS reservation by 3:2 majority, ruling that economic criterion alone does not violate the basic structure, despite the Indra Sawhney precedent restricting reservations to social and educational backwardness.

Synonyms

quotaset-asidepreferential allocationpositive discriminationaffirmative allotment

Antonyms

open competitionmeritocracyunreserved selection

🌱 Word Family

reserve (verb/noun), reserved (adjective), reservist (noun), unreserved (adjective)

🔡 Root

Latin reservare = to keep back (re- = back + servare = to keep, preserve); -ation = process/result of action

📜 Etymology

From Latin reservare, through Old French reserver into English by the 14th century, originally meaning the act of holding something in store. The technical constitutional sense — pre-allocating public opportunities to designated groups — developed in South Asian legal vocabulary through colonial-era communal representation debates and crystallised in the Constituent Assembly debates of 1947–49.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think of reserving a table — you hold it back specifically for a particular guest before others arrive. Constitutional reservation holds back seats for historically excluded groups before the general queue begins.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2025 — Constitutional Framework
Prelims 2024 — Women's Reservation
Prelims 2024 — Women & Gender
Prelims 2015 — Environmental Laws
Prelims 1997 — Local Government
Mains 2019 · GS2 · 15 marks — Social Justice
Mains 2018 · GS2 · 10 marks — Indian Polity

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Reservation” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Social Justice 📖 Seen in: Dalit Rights & SC/ST Atrocities Act — ...

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