What is SC Category?

To restrain social and economic disparity amongst people of a democratic India, the constituent Assembly introduced the historically disadvantaged sections of society in three broad categories namely, Schedule Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). In this blog, we will provide you with information about the Scheduled Castes category. Also, we will tell you the definition of What is SC Category, according to the Indian constitution.

Scheduled Category is abbreviated as SC category. To uplift, the people of this group constitution maker gave them reservation rights. It is applicable in educational institutions, political constituencies, and governmental and non-governmental workplaces. All the recent updates on how to get SC reservation criteria, percentage of reservation, and relaxations for SC Candidates are covered below.

What is the Basis of SC Reservation?

Before July 1997, the reservations were only based on vacancies for a post or exam and the concentration of each category of applicants. The Supreme Court later in the case of cadre introduced a posts-based reservation system.

This implied that the number of seats reserved for an SC cadre would be based on the total number of posts available in that title. At any point, the candidates from SC categories must be maintained, and some posts will be reserved for SC category candidates in every Government Job.

Must Read: What is the EWS Category?

Reservation Policy for SC In India

The government follows a set of criteria for every reservation category, here are a few important points followed for the SC category. Keep in mind these points are mandatory to follow according to the constitution of India. 

• In the case of all India direct recruitments by open competition, the reservations for SC candidates will be 15%. 
• In the case of all India direct recruitment other than open competitions the reservations in the SC category are around 16.66%.
• In the case of group C and D posts that are specific to regions, the reservations are based on the proportion of the SC population in the respective State or Union Territory. 
• In any case, the total reservations of SC, ST, and OBC candidates have to remain within the 50% ceiling mark. 
• Reservation in promotion by non-selection method for SC Candidates is 15% in all groups of services.
• By selection method a 15% reservation is available only in Group A services, In promotion by selection to posts within Group A, there is no reservation.
• In the case of direct recruitment, there is a ban on the dereservation of posts. 
• Other relaxations like age relaxation of 5 years, exemption from exam fee payment, separate interview, qualifying exam level or qualifying marks are also given under direct recruitment.

Who is Eligible for SC Reservation?

A candidate from the SC, ST, or OBC category selected with the general category candidate’s standards and appearing in the General Category Merit List is called an Own Merit Candidate. According to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoP&T) Own Merit Candidates shall not be adjusted against reserved categories.

What are SC Backlog Vacancies?

Backlog vacancies are a reserve of vacancies that remained unfilled due to a lack of suitable candidates in the previous recruitment drive and remain unfilled. For such reserve vacancies, another recruitment drive is created in the same year only for the candidates belonging to the category in the backlog. 

In case suitable candidates are still not available to fill the vacancies the backlogs are shifted to the fresh recruitment drive next year. Backlog vacancies are a separate category and do not imply the ceiling of 50% reservation recruitment. 

State/UT-wise Statistics of Schedule Caste Reservation 

The number of communities residing under reservation in each state and Union Territory is different. Here is a state-wise statistics of Reserved communities under the SC Category. 

State	Number of Categories under Schedule Caste
Andhra Pradesh	61
Assam	16
Bihar	23
Gujarat	36
Haryana	37
Himachal Pradesh	57
Jharkhand	22
Karnataka	101
Kerala	69
Madhya Pradesh	48
Maharashtra	59
Manipur	07
Meghalaya	16
Odisha	95
Punjab	39
Rajasthan	59
Tamil Nadu	76
Tripura	34
Uttar Pradesh	66
West Bengal	60
Mizoram	16
Goa	05
Chattisgarh	44
Uttrakhand	65
Telangana	59
Delhi	36
Chandigarh	36
Daman and Diu	05
Jammu & Kashmir	13
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	04
Pondicherry	16
Sikkim	03

SC Certificate

A caste certificate is a membership document of a particular social community that is defined by the constitution of India. The government’s measures to uplift, empower and develop the Scheduled Castes to compete at the level of societal norms led to the need for their official identification as members of that community. The SC certificates are therefore produced to ensure honest reservation provisions for the candidates. 

Who issues a Community/Caste Certificate?

A community or caste certificate is issued by the state government and the Union Territory Administrators. Every governing body has its own set of rules for the SC Caste certificates and the certification is available in English or the vernacular languages. 

The SC Caste can be issued by, Taluka Magistrate, Sub Divisional Magistrate, First class Stipendiary Magistrate, Executive Magistrate, Additional Assistant Commissioner, Collector, Deputy Commissioner, District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, or Deputy Collector. 

It is also applicable to the Presidency Magistrate, Chief Presidency Magistrate, and Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate. The candidate can also get the SC Certificate from the family’s sub-divisional officer or revenue officer who is at least at Tehsildar’s post. 

How to get an SC Caste Certificate?

There are certain determining factors to issue a caste certificate that include the presidential orders relating to Articles 341 and 342, the caste applied for, should be listed in the constitution, and the candidate must belong to the region where they have applied from. While applying it is advisable to keep the following information handy.

1. Personal Information
2. Contact information
3. Parental lineage
4. Address specifics
5. Details of blood relatives from their caste certificates.

Apart from these, the candidate must have the following documents at the time of application:

1. SC Certificate Application form
2. Aadhar card or Voter ID, PAN card, Driving License, or Passport
3. Proof of residence in the state for the required period, for example, Electricity bill
4. A caste support affidavit 
5. Predetermined court stamp price.
6. Married women have to submit a copy of their marriage certificate as well

FAQs

We hope that you have got all the information about the SC category and its rights. We keep updating such information on Leverage Edu. You can stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin.