Article 335 — Article 335 — Claims of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to Services and Posts

The claims of the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes shall be taken into consideration, consistently with the maintenance of efficiency of administration, in the making of appointments to services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or of a State.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Article 335 was a carefully worded compromise. The framers wanted to ensure that reservation in government jobs did not compromise administrative efficiency. The 'consistent with efficiency' clause has been cited both by those opposing reservation in promotions and by those arguing that reservations should be limited. The Supreme Court in M. Nagaraj v. Union of India (2006) held that the state must collect quantifiable data on inadequacy of representation before extending reservations to promotions.

• Article 16
• Article 46
• Article 330

Last reviewed: 3 July 2026