I was always that kid who aimed for the top scoring over 95% in both my Class 10 and 12 board exams. My best friend, who I’ve known for thirteen years and honestly think the world of, got an 85%.
When college admissions rolled around, everything changed because of the Reservation System in India.
We grew up together in Lucknow, sat in the same classrooms, used the same books, and even dreamed the same dreams. But our caste categories?
They drew a line between us we couldn’t cross. This is what happens when a system designed to lift people up sometimes ends up handing opportunities to those who already have plenty.
The JEE Heartbreak and the Reservation System in India
For two years, I barely slept. I put off hanging out with friends, all for a shot at the brutal engineering entrance exams. I poured everything into it, but when the results came out, I missed the IIT JEE general cutoff by just 7 marks. Just 7. So, I ended up at a regular Tier-2 engineering college.
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Meanwhile, my best friend—he’s been with me since we were kids—got into Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi. He was in the Scheduled Caste category, and his score was 52 marks below the general cutoff. Still, he got the seat everyone dreams about.
I was honestly happy for him. He’s my friend, and I wanted him to do well. But the part of me that worked so hard, the part that believed effort should pay off, just felt crushed. It was my first bitter encounter with the reality of being a male general category engineer in this country.
The Corporate Maze and the IIM Dream
Four years flew by. I graduated with a great CGPA, solid technical chops, and honestly, I expected more. But the only job offer I got was from Infosys—a big-name company, sure, but they’re famous for hiring in bulk and paying freshers just Rs. 3.6 Lakhs to start.
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Now, my friend? He barely made it through his IIT degree. He racked up several backlogs and basically battled his way to the finish line. Even with all those academic struggles, he landed a top public sector job at BHEL, which pays way better, all because of the quota system.
He didn’t stick around long at BHEL. After a few months, he decided to try his luck with the CAT exam. He scored a 95 percentile. That’s decent, nothing extraordinary. Any general category student will tell you—a score like that usually gets you a call from the newer IIMs or maybe a Tier-2 school, nothing more.
But since he had reserved status, he got interview calls from the big three: IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta. The Holy Trinity.
The Silent Academic Struggle at IIM
He got into both IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, and picked Bangalore for his MBA. But honestly, it didn’t play out like a success story. Instead, he found himself stuck in a tough, quiet battle.
The last time we talked, he sounded like he was barely keeping his head above water. The academic pressure at IIM was crushing.
He told me his classmates were just on another level—no matter how hard he tried, they always seemed to do better. It’s tough to keep up with people who scored in the top hundreds nationwide when your own rank is way further down the list.
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That kind of competition really wears you down. After all this, he’s pretty sure corporate life isn’t for him, so now he wants to give the Civil Services Exam a shot.
The Affluent Beneficiaries of Quotas
If you’re imagining my friend as some kid from a struggling background, you’ve got it wrong. His dad’s actually a Class 1 gazetted officer with the Uttar Pradesh government, and his mom teaches at a Kendriya Vidyalaya — not exactly an underprivileged setup.
We both went to City Montessori School in Lucknow, which, honestly, is one of the priciest schools around. Plus, he always had access to the best private tutors and every comfort money can buy.
Here’s the kicker: chances are, both his parents benefited from India’s Reservation System too. And that’s where the problem jumps out at you. Why does someone with that level of privilege still get government support meant for the disadvantaged? It just doesn’t add up.
The “Creamy Layer” Paradox
The original framers of the constitution designed quotas to uplift the historically marginalized and eradicate poverty. Today, a staggering 59.5% of seats in central government institutions are reserved.
However, the “creamy layer” rule—excluding families earning over Rs. 8 Lakh annually—currently only applies to the OBC category. Historically, SC and ST categories faced no such income limits. A handful of families have managed to build up wealth over several generations because of this. But now, the Indian judiciary is finally starting to see just how unfair this is. In August 2024, the Supreme Court made a big move: they ruled that states can split SC and ST categories into sub-groups. In this 6:1 decision, several judges pushed hard for the idea of excluding the so-called “creamy layer” from SC/ST benefits. If you want to dig deeper, The Indian Express has a solid report on the ruling.
Real Victims vs. Elite Beneficiaries
People often defend absolute quotas by pointing to the ugly reality of caste discrimination that still lingers in our society. You still find things like manual scavenging happening in some remote corners—and honestly, it’s appalling. This stuff needs to go for good.
But here’s the tough question: have you ever actually seen someone who did manual scavenging end up at an IIT or land a top government job? I haven’t met even one.
Who Actually Gets the Reserved Seats?
Here’s what’s really happening: Most of the quota seats go to second or third-generation city kids. They live in nice houses, drive fancy cars, walk around with the latest phones, and buy expensive brands online without a second thought. Meanwhile, the rural students who actually face discrimination don’t even know these programs exist, let alone benefit from them. The gap is huge. The system isn’t helping the people it’s supposed to help. Honestly, it just hands out extra perks to people who already have plenty.
Reimagining the Future of Affirmative Action
Are we really going to keep giving reservations to affluent families forever? Once someone makes it to a good institution, shouldn’t they have to prove themselves on merit? But what happens instead? They keep using quotas for college admissions, public sector jobs, even for higher studies. Now the government’s handing out reservations for promotions at work too. At this rate, all the top administrative positions will end up filled by people with reservations, not by the most qualified folks.
Necessary Steps Forward
If we want to keep our brightest, most hard-working young people from leaving the country out of pure frustration, we need real, sensible reforms.
First, let’s make sure the quota system actually helps those who need it. Wealthy SC/ST families shouldn’t be able to keep taking advantage of reservations meant for the poor. Also, reservation benefits shouldn’t go on forever in the same family—limit them to one or two generations, then move on.
But don’t stop there. Real change starts at the roots, so we need to build excellent, free primary schools for kids in truly marginalized communities. Give them a real shot from the very beginning.
Still, even with all these obvious problems, vote-bank politics keeps the current system in place. Politicians won’t touch it. But honestly, if we keep sacrificing merit for political gain, we’re just holding ourselves back. It’s time to push for deep, lasting reforms—let’s make things fair, equal, and just for everyone.
