Dalit welfare, Mulki rules mark early affirmative action in Hyderabad: SEEPC report
185 Depressed Class schools established; Depressed Classes Trust Board with Dalit representation with budget of Rs 2.5 crore constituted
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Context
The recently released SEEPC report highlights that the 1919 Mulki Rules in the erstwhile Hyderabad State functioned as an early form of affirmative action. By mandating a 15-year continuous residence requirement for state employment and education, these rules shielded local Backward Castes and non-elite Muslims from the bureaucratic dominance of North Indian officials.
UPSC Perspectives
Historical & Social
The Mulki Rules, formalized in 1919 via a farman (decree) by the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, were initially designed to prevent administrative domination by non-locals ('Gair Mulkis'). However, the recent report illuminates their role as an early, pragmatic mechanism of affirmative action. By mandating a strict 15-year residency requirement for state employment and higher education, the rules inadvertently widened access for locally disadvantaged groups. This approach diverged from British India’s caste-based reservations, relying instead on domicile-based local preference to protect vulnerable populations from external bureaucratic hegemony, operating effectively without explicit caste framing.
Polity & Constitutional
The continuation of the Mulki Rules post-independence provides a fascinating study of fundamental rights versus local protections. While Article 16(2) prohibits discrimination in public employment based on place of birth or residence, allows (and strictly not State Legislatures) to enact laws prescribing residential requirements for specific government jobs. When the Constitution was adopted, the existing Mulki regulations were temporarily protected under , which safeguards certain pre-constitutional laws. This created a complex legal environment where domicile-based employment reservations coexisted with the broader constitutional mandate of equal opportunity, leading to decades of judicial scrutiny and state-level friction.
Governance & Regional Identity
The legacy of the Mulki Rules deeply influenced the geopolitical restructuring of South India, serving as the ideological bedrock for the . Following the 1956 merger of Hyderabad State with Andhra State, the perceived violation of these domicile protections by non-locals triggered massive socio-political unrest. The ensuing legal and political crisis over the validity of the Mulki safeguards ultimately necessitated a permanent constitutional solution. This culminated in the enactment of the of 1973, which inserted to ensure equitable opportunities in education and public employment for the people of different parts of Andhra Pradesh, effectively resolving the historical Mulki issue.