Congress leader Udit Raj has advocated for implementing caste-based reservations in the judiciary, arguing that it would help reduce corruption, inefficiency, and caste bias in the legal system.
In a post on social media platform X, Raj stated that increasing caste diversity among judges would improve the judiciary’s fairness and transparency. “Reservation should be implemented to reduce corruption and inefficiency in the judiciary. This will reduce the number of judges from one family and one caste. A corrupt judge will fear that there will be fewer people from his caste and kin to protect him. He will give judgments after careful consideration,” he wrote.
Raj further asserted that judges from Dalit, OBC, Minority, and Tribal communities would be less likely to exhibit bias, as they would not have the backing of an upper-caste majority within the judicial system. “Judges from Dalit, OBC, Minority, and Tribal communities will not show bias in hearings because there will be pressure from upper-caste judges. There will be no one to protect them if they commit mistakes,” he added.
Criticizing the existing collegium system, Raj claimed that it is currently dominated by upper-caste judges, and introducing reservations would create a more balanced and equitable judicial system. He also highlighted disparities in legal outcomes, arguing that political figures often face different levels of scrutiny. “Political leaders will receive fair justice, and situations like Lalu getting jail and Mishra getting bail will reduce. At present, checks and balances have deteriorated, and reservation will automatically restore them,” he stated.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Mayank Nayak on Monday criticized the Karnataka government’s recent move to grant 4% reservation to minorities in public contracts, accusing the Congress of playing “politics of religion.” He also took aim at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s remarks on the Constitution.
“The Karnataka government has announced a 4% reservation for the Muslim community in public contracts. Who is doing politics of religion now? Today, there was a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha, and Union Minister JP Nadda strongly objected to religion-based reservations,” Nayak said.
Raj’s remarks have reignited the debate over caste representation in the judiciary, with strong reactions from both supporters and critics of his proposal.
