Consider the following statements: Statement I: The Supreme Court of India has ruled that State governments have the constitutional authority to sub-classify Scheduled Castes for the purpose of providing targeted reservations. Statement II: Article 341 of the Constitution of India empowers the State Legislatures to specify the castes, races or tribes which shall be deemed to be Scheduled Castes in relation to that State. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
A
Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II is the correct explanation for Statement I
B
Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II is not the correct explanation for Statement I
C
Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
Correct Answer
D
Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
Explanation
In a landmark 2024 judgment, a 7-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that States can sub-classify Scheduled Castes to grant separate quotas for more marginalized sub-groups, making Statement I correct. However, Statement II is incorrect because Article 341 empowers the President of India (not State Legislatures) to notify the initial list of Scheduled Castes for a State, and only the Parliament can modify this list.
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