Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services
Article 336 — Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services
services.—(1) During the first two years after the commencement of this Constitution, appointments of members of the Anglo-Indian community to posts in the railway, customs, postal and telegraph services of the Union shall be made on the same basis as immediately before the fifteenth day of August, 1947. During every succeeding period of two years, the number of posts reserved for the members of the said community in the said services shall, as nearly as possible, be less by ten per cent. than the numbers so reserved during the immediately preceding period of two years: Provided that at the end of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution all such reservations shall cease. (2) Nothing in clause (1) shall bar the appointment of members of the Anglo-Indian community to posts other than, or in addition to, those reserved for the community under that clause if such members are found qualified for appointment on merit as compared with the members of other communities.
Plain English Summary
This article provided special provisions for members of the Anglo-Indian community to be appointed to certain jobs in central government services like railways and postal services during the initial period after India's independence. It set a system where reservations were gradually reduced over time, with all such reservations ending after ten years.
Key Points
- Initial Reservation: Appointments for Anglo-Indians in railway, customs, postal, and telegraph services were made based on the rules existing before August 15, 1947, during the first two years.
- Gradual Reduction: Every two years after that, the number of reserved posts for this community was reduced by approximately ten percent compared to the previous period.
- Cessation of Reservation: All such reservations were to stop after a total of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution.
- Merit Principle: Members of the Anglo-Indian community could still be appointed to other posts if they were qualified on merit compared to members of other communities.
Why It Matters
This article established a temporary mechanism to ensure representation for the Anglo-Indian community in specific government services during the early years of the Constitution, though it was designed to phase out these special provisions.
Landmark Judgements
No major landmark judgements.