TAP TO UNMUTE File Photo

New Delhi: Can a very senior bureaucrat's grandson and great-grandson be treated as "backward" for promotion, and that too in perpetuity? The crucial question from Supreme Court has once again thrown open the debate on the quota system in promotions. A five-judge bench headed by chief justice Deepak Misra observed that there is no problem with entry-level reservations, but what is worrying is the accelerated promotions of SC/ST employees without looking into the status and merits of the employment.

Arguing against quota in promotions, former law minister Shanti Bhushan says that it will be a disastrous move. Interestingly, the Centre is siding with the existing reservation system for promotions in a government job. Attorney general KK Venugopal says once a caste is given the SC/ST status, there is no need for a case-by-case adjudication.

But the crucial question remains: At a time when the country is preparing for a big leap, can quota come in the way of competitiveness, especially when it comes to high-ranking administrative jobs? That's what we are discussing on the India Development Debate.

