Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services

Quick Summary (TL;DR)

Article 336 (Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services): Secures legislative representation and National Commissions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes (Part XVI).

In Simple Citizen Words

Article 336 ('Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services') in Part XVI (Special Provisions Relating to Certain Classes) institutionalizes social justice and political representation for historically marginalized communities. It governs reserved seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha (Art 330) and State Assemblies (Art 332), claims in public services (Art 335), and the constitutional National Commissions for Scheduled Castes (Art 338), Scheduled Tribes (Art 338A), and Backward Classes (Art 338B). Specifically: (1) During the first two years after the commencement of this Constitution, appointments of members of the Anglo-Indian community to posts in the railway, customs, postal and telegraph services of the Union shall be made on the same basis...

Key Constitutional Provisions

Constitutional Mandate (Art. 336): Directly codifies the legal rule for 'Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services' under Part XVI

Structured across 3 clause(s) with explicit constitutional provisos/safeguards

Any administrative or legislative action violating Article 336 can be challenged before the High Court (Art. 226) or Supreme Court

Exceptions & Reasonable Restrictions

Under Article 341 and Article 342, once the Presidential notification specifying Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes is issued, any inclusion or exclusion can only be done by an Act of Parliament.

Why This Matters in Daily Life

Fulfils Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's vision of political and social democracy by giving marginalized communities a guaranteed voice in legislatures and constitutional commissions with civil-court powers to investigate atrocities.

Want deeper legal & historical context? Explore the official Bare Act or Supreme Court Precedents & CAD Debates:

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Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Sardar Patel & Muniswami Pillai

Drafting & Minorities Sub-Committee • August 24–26, 1949

🏛️ Constituent Assembly Debates (1946–1949)

Core Constitutional Debate & Dilemma

Framing context for Article 336: Guaranteeing political representation and institutional safeguards for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes to overcome centuries of historical exclusion.

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"Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy... We must bring the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and backward classes into the mainstream of legislative and administrative power."

Assembly Resolution & Final Synthesis

Constitutional resolution in Article 336: Enacted Part XVI (Articles 330–342A) providing legislative reservations for SCs/STs in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies and establishing National Commissions (Arts 338, 338A, 338B).

🏛️ Constitutional Significance: During the Constituent Assembly deliberations, Article 336 was codified as an integral pillar of India's constitutional governance.

Official Constitutional Text (Gazette Bare Act)

Authoritative statutory text as enacted and amended by Parliament • Clause-by-Clause Statutory Breakdown

India Code • Govt. of India Archive

Clause (1)

During the first two years after the commencement of this Constitution, appointments of members of the Anglo-Indian community to posts in the railway, customs, postal and telegraph services of the Union shall be made on the same basis as immediately before the fifteenth day of August, 1947.

During every succeeding period of two years, the number of posts reserved for the members of the said community in the said services shall, as nearly as possible, be less by ten per cent. than the numbers so reserved during the immediately preceding period of two years:

Provided that at the end of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution all such reservations shall cease.

Clause (2)

Nothing in clause (1) shall bar the appointment of members of the Anglo-Indian community to posts other than, or in addition to, those reserved for the community under that clause if such members are found qualified for appointment on merit as compared with the members of other communities.

Public Domain & Statutory Authenticity Notice

Under Section 52(1)(q) of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957, the Constitution of India, Bare Acts of Parliament, Gazette Notifications, and Judicial Judgments of the Supreme Court and High Courts are in the Public Domain. Text is reproduced from the official Legislative Department, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India (India Code) archives.

Then vs Now: Constitutional Evolution & Visual Diff

Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services

🟢 Original 1950 Text Intact (Zero Textual Repeal) Baseline: Jan 26, 1950 → Today

ORIGINAL BASELINE (1950)

Enacted on 26 January 1950 by the Constituent Assembly of India. The foundational constitutional text of Article 336 (Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services) has remained intact since Day 1 without parliamentary deletion or repeal.

CURRENT ENFORCEABLE STATUS (TODAY)

100% Original 1950 Text Enforceable Today: Article 336 (Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services): Secures legislative representation and National Commissions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes (Part XVI).

Key Amendment Milestones & Textual Modifications

Original Enactment by the Constituent Assembly

Year 1950

Why it happened: Crafted by the Founding Fathers & Mothers with enduring constitutional clarity; its core text has stood untouched for over 75 years.

                                    Status: 🟢 Unchanged Since 26 January 1950 — Original Constitutional Mandate Preserved Intact                                

Article 335 Ask Nyaya Saarthi AI About This Article Article 337

Emergency Citizen Helplines

Special provision for Anglo-Indian community in certain services

Official Constitutional Text (Gazette Bare Act)

Then vs Now: Constitutional Evolution & Visual Diff

Key Amendment Milestones & Textual Modifications