A landmark verdict was delivered by a Seven-Judge Constitution Bench headed by the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India on the sub-categorization of Scheduled Castes on August 1, 2024. In this judgment (State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh), the Supreme Court explicitly reviewed and overruled which of its own previous significant landmark litigations?
- AE. V. Chinnaiah Vs. State of Andhra Pradesh
- BIndra Sawhney Vs. Union of India
- CAssociation for Democratic Reforms Vs. Election Commission of India
- DIndra Sawhney Vs. Association for Democratic Reforms
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
On August 1, 2024, a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, in the case of State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh, delivered a landmark 6:1 majority verdict permitting states to sub-classify Scheduled Castes (SCs). This judgment explicitly overruled the 2004 five-judge bench decision in E. V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh, which had previously held that Scheduled Castes constitute a homogeneous class and cannot be sub-divided by states.