Congress Urges Higher Education Regulator to Enforce Article 15(5) Reservation Provisions

The Congress party has called for any higher education regulator to be mandated to oversee the implementation of Article 15(5) of the Constitution, which allows reservations for SC, ST, and OBC students in private institutions. Marking the 20th anniversary of the 93rd Amendment that introduced this provision, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted its role in enabling 27% OBC reservations in centrally-funded institutions. Despite the Supreme Court upholding Article 15(5) in 2014, Congress noted the absence of a parliamentary law enforcing reservations in private colleges and linked this demand to the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which aims to establish a single higher education regulator.