Polity · 18 Aug 2026

Jammu and Kashmir reservation policy

Consider the following statements:

  1. Prior to the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, reservation in Jammu and Kashmir government jobs stood at 43%.
  2. The increase in J&K's reservation ceiling to 70% in 2024 was implemented by the Lieutenant Governor's administration, prior to that year's Assembly elections.
  3. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to bind the Lieutenant Governor to the aid and advice of the elected Council of Ministers, similar to Article 239AA for Delhi.
  4. The Cabinet sub-committee's proposal to cap total reservation at 50% cited the Indra Sawhney judgment.
AOnly one
BOnly two
COnly three
DAll four
This question is based on: J&K's Reservation Cap Is Stuck Not in Politics, But in a Statute Delhi Doesn't Have to Live With
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 18 Aug 2026
About this question

Why in news

Omar Abdullah said on August 15 that his government sent a Cabinet-approved proposal to cap J&K's reservation at 50% to the Lieutenant Governor in November 2025 and that continued inaction on it risks youth unrest.

Why for UPSC

Tests the specific institutional distinction UPSC favours - that J&K's Union Territory framework lacks the judicially settled L-G-constraint that Delhi's Article 239AA has acquired through litigation - rather than just the headline reservation percentages.

Prelims summary

J&K's reservation ceiling rose from 43% (pre-2019) to 70% (2024, set by the L-G's administration); a Cabinet proposal to cap it at 50%, citing Indra Sawhney, has been pending with the L-G since November 2025, since the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 - unlike Delhi's Article 239AA - carries no Supreme-Court-settled timeline or scope for L-G concurrence.

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