President of India Issues Ordinance Amending J&K Reservation Act to Implement 85% Reservation in Ladakh

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, has promulgated an ordinance amending the Jammu & Kashmir Reservation Act of 2004 to enforce an 85% reservation quota in the Union Territory of Ladakh, excluding a separate 10% quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

This legislation, named the Union Territory of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation 2025, specifically applies to Ladakh.

The amendment replaces Section 3(1) of the 2004 Act with a provision stating that the total reservation shall not exceed 85%, excluding reservations for EWS.

Previously, Section 3 outlined the categories eligible for reservation in government appointments and admissions. The original clause provided that government-notified vacancies would be reserved for:

• Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in proportion to their population as per the latest census,

• Socially and educationally backward classes,

• Economically weaker sections.

It also capped the combined reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and backward classes at 50%.

The ordinance further revises other parts of the Act, including Section 5(4) (regarding vacancy carry-forwards), Section 6 (reservation in promotions), and Section 9(1) (reservation in professional institutions). In these sections, the ordinance clarifies that reservations must not exceed 85%, excluding the EWS quota.

Additionally, in Section 5(4), it is specified that the provisions do not apply to the EWS category, and vacancy filling for this group will follow prescribed rules.