Reservations - Vertical
Vs Horizontal
By Smt Sangeetha, Ch.OS/personnel/SCR
Vertical Reservations
Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other
Backward Classes and EWS is referred to as vertical reservation. It applies
separately for each of the groups specified under the law. This is mentioned in
Article 16(A) of the Indian Constitution.
Horizontal Reservations
It refers to the equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries such as women, individuals with disabilities and Ex Service men, cutting through the vertical categories. It comes under Article 15(3), 16(1) ,309 resp.of the Indian Constitution.
Difference
between
|
Basis |
Vertical Reservation |
Horizontal Reservation |
|
Constitutional Basis |
Article 16(4) of Constitution of India |
Articles 15(3), 16(1),309 of Constitution of India |
|
Categories Covered |
SC, ST, OBC, EWS |
Women, PwD, Ex-servicemen, etc. |
|
Nature |
Social backwardness-based |
Special provision / affirmative action |
|
Competition for Open Seats |
Allowed Candidates can compete in general merit |
Not separately applicable |
|
Merit Adjustment |
Candidates selected on merit in open category are not
counted against reserved quota |
Candidates selected on merit are counted towards
horizontal quota |
|
Effect on Quota |
Reserved quota remains intact even if candidates are
selected on merit |
No separate expansion of quota; adjusted within vertical
categories |
|
Application Method |
Applied independently to each category |
Applied within each vertical category |
|
Filling Procedure |
Direct allocation to categories |
Two-step process: first fill vertical quota, then adjust
horizontal quota |
|
Example |
SC/ST candidate selected on merit will not reduce SC/ST
quota |
SC woman selected on merit counts towards SC women quota |
|
Key Principle |
“Meritorious reserved candidate does not consume reserved
quota” |
“Meritorious candidate satisfies horizontal quota” |
