CURRENT AFFAIRS | 19 JUNE 2026
An Indian Express investigation has found that candidates from private schools, expensive coaching, family businesses and MNC jobs cleared the 10% Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota in the 2025 Civil Services Examination, reigniting the debate over the Rs 8-lakh income bar.
What Happened
Of the 104 candidates selected under the EWS quota in CSE 2025, the investigation found several were graduates of IITs, NITs and elite institutions, with parents running businesses or earning salaries close to the cut-off. This has prompted the Union Public Service Commission and the Department of Personnel & Training to debate whether the eligibility rules need tightening.
The EWS quota gives 10% reservation in jobs and education to the economically weaker among those not covered by SC/ST/OBC reservations. Eligibility hinges on a Rs 8-lakh gross annual family income limit (from all sources) plus asset ceilings on agricultural land and residential property.
⚖️ Constitutional & Legal Framework
The EWS quota was created by the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, which inserted Article 15(6) (special provisions in education) and Article 16(6) (reservation in public employment) for economically weaker sections. In Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India (2022), a 5-judge Constitution Bench upheld the amendment by a 3:2 majority, holding that reservation based purely on economic criteria, and the exclusion of SC/ST/OBC from EWS, do not violate the basic structure. The Rs 8-lakh figure mirrors the OBC creamy-layer limit.
🎯 Why This Matters for CLAT
Reservation jurisprudence is core CLAT constitutional GK and legal-reasoning territory — from the Indra Sawhney (1992) 50% ceiling and creamy-layer doctrine to Janhit Abhiyan and the 103rd Amendment. The fairness-of-eligibility angle is a ready-made legal-reasoning passage.
📌 Key Facts
| What | 10% EWS reservation; fairness of Rs 8-lakh bar questioned |
| Created by | 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 — Art 15(6), 16(6) |
| Income limit | Rs 8 lakh gross annual family income (all sources) |
| Upheld in | Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India (2022), 3:2 |
| CSE 2025 | 104 EWS selections; some from elite institutions |
| Related | Indra Sawhney (1992): 50% ceiling, creamy layer |
🧠 Memory Hook
“103 = 10% for EWS, 15(6) & 16(6).” Remember the verdict as ‘Janhit 3:2’ — three judges said yes, two dissented (CJI Lalit & Justice Bhat).
📝 Test yourself — take the 10-question quiz below:
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
