The Scheduled Castes (SC) is a politico-legal concept and a constitutional designation in India, defined in Article 366(24) as castes, races, or tribes deemed to be Scheduled Castes under Article 341 of the Constitution. The term originated from the "Depressed Classes" of the British colonial era and was formally adopted to address the historical problem of untouchability and severe socio-economic discrimination faced by communities traditionally considered outside the four-fold varna system. The concept was created to provide a legal basis for affirmative action and protective measures for these historically marginalized groups.
The mechanism for identifying SCs is laid out in Article 341(1), which empowers the President of India to specify the list of Scheduled Castes for each State or Union Territory by public notification, after consulting with the State's Governor. Once the initial list is notified, only the Parliament can include or exclude any community from the list through a law, as per Article 341(2), ensuring the stability of the list. This mechanism connects to the broader framework of social justice provisions, including Article 17, which abolishes untouchability, and Article 46, which directs the State to promote the educational and economic interests of SCs.
A key related institution is the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), a constitutional body established under Article 338 to investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for SCs. The most significant protective legislation is the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which makes specific offenses against SCs and STs punishable and provides for relief to victims. Recently, the SC list has been subject to amendment through parliamentary law, such as the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which added the Valmiki community as a synonym for existing SCs in Jammu and Kashmir. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has recently reinforced the mechanism of Article 341, ruling that State governments lack the authority to unilaterally alter the SC list.