In a significant development in the legal and educational landscape, the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of reservation to economically weaker section (EWS) of society among general category by a majority judgment of 3:2. The court, while uphelding the validity, also said said that reservation on economic basis does not violate the essential and basic features of the Constitution of India. The apex court further stated that the reservation instrument of affirmative action by state is to ensure all march to goal of egalitarian society. The petitioners had questioned several aspects of the EWS quota, including how it could cross the 50 per cent national cap on reservation set by the Supreme Court in 1992 and whether it changed the "basic structure" of the constitution. A clutch of petitions had challenged the validity of 103rd Amendment Act 2019, that provided for economic reservation in jobs and education to the EWS groups in the general category. Clause no. 6 was added in Article 15, 16 with the 103rd Amendment Act - providing 10 percent reservation in jobs and admissions to EWS, who were to be persons other than SC, ST and OBC and whose annual family income was below ₹8 lakh.

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