Which Part of the Constitution contains special provisions relating to certain classes, such as the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the National Commissions for them?

Part XVI of the Constitution contains special provisions relating to certain classes, such as the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the Anglo-Indians and the backward classes.

Main contents of Part XVI:

• Reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies.
• The time limit for these reservations, which has been extended from time to time.
• Claims of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes to services and posts, consistent with the maintenance of efficiency of administration.
• The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
• The National Commission for Backward Classes.
• The appointment of a commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes.
• The power of the President to specify the castes and tribes that are to be treated as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in each state.
• Special provisions for the Anglo-Indian community in certain services and educational grants (which were for a limited period).

Definitions:

• The President, after consultation with the Governor, specifies by public notification the castes, races or tribes that shall be deemed to be Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in a state.
• Parliament can include or exclude any caste or tribe from the list by law.

Backward Classes Commissions:

The first Backward Classes Commission (1953) was headed by Kaka Kalelkar.

The second Backward Classes Commission (1979) was headed by B. P. Mandal; its recommendations on reservation for the Other Backward Classes in central government jobs were implemented in 1990.

In the Indra Sawhney case, the Supreme Court upheld the OBC reservation, but fixed a ceiling of 50 percent on reservations and excluded the "creamy layer".

Purpose of Part XVI:

• To protect and promote the interests of the weaker sections who had suffered from social and educational backwardness for centuries.
• To ensure their adequate representation in legislatures and public services.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Part XIV deals with the services under the Union and the States; Part XVIII with the emergency provisions; Part XIX with miscellaneous provisions.