The 27 percent reservation for other backward classes in   central educational institutions, including the IITs and IIMs, is now official after the Supreme Court upheld the Central Education Institutions (Reservation in Admission) act 2006. There is no doubt that the right to education is important and the state has to ensure that children attend primary and secondary schools. But reservations in institutions of higher learning are a sure way of compromising merit is alter of politics. This is not to say that OBCs should not get a chance to study in these institutions; they should do so on merit only. The courts suggestion that graduates will not qualify for reservation in institutes of higher learning; it must be interpreted in the right spirit.

Anyone who goes beyond the graduation level in humanities and science and above class XII in professional courses must have merit. Otherwise, the whole purpose of education sets defeated.
With capitation institutions mushrooming all over the country, particularly in Maharashtra and Karnataka, money has started playing a major role in shaping the career of doctors and engineers. The result is that a large number of doctors, engineers and MBAs have joined the job market but money among them lack basic skills.

While there is a case for making education compulsory at the primary and secondary levels, merit should be the only yardstick for higher education. This is where political parties have gone wrong. They treat higher education either as a knowledge industry or a vote-bank. This feeling is now bound to change. And it could even backfire especially in the cities. In fact the other side of implementation of this law is that the section, which are opposed to any kind of reservation but were with the congress because of its past track record, will also move away from the party. This is certainly going to reduce the  already-shrinking base of the congress. At the same time, it is going to strengthen regional and castes forces represented in parliament and assembly by some of the regional parties.

The act will also lead to polarization on the basis of castes and therefore, strengthen the argument for a third alternative. In the process the congress as well as the BJP will be adversely affected. Ironically, it is Mayawati who is reacting the same way the congress have been done some years ago. Education must be made compulsory at the lower levels but merit should be the only measure in the higher levels caste, creed, religion and region notwithstanding. The country is everything else between us.

Notwithstanding the above concern, this judgment has an important bearing on the entire system of higher education, especially institutions of excellence, because it challenges the idea that merit exists in a vacuum outstanding of social location and equality of opportunity. Opening these institutions to Dalit and Adivasi student, especially, will bring in dimension of diversity and counter hegemonic thinking that will enrich the quality of education imparted there and strengthen democracy. When we see the whole scenario of the OBCs quota, we see the mix of politics and see it as a base and preparation for coming Lok Sabha election.