Context

• Reacting to the Supreme Court’s remarks that reservation is not a fundamental right,Minister of Consumer Affairs reiterated to include all reservation-related laws in the Ninth Schedule of Constitutionso that they are shielded from judicial review.

Ninth Schedule of the Constitution

• Contains a list of central and state laws which cannot be challenged in courts.
• Currently, 284 such laws are shielded from judicial review.
• Part of the Constitution in 1951,when the document was amended for the first time.
• Created by the new Article 31B, which along with 31Awas brought in by the government to protect laws related to agrarian reform and for abolishing the Zamindari system.
• Article 31A extends protection to ‘classes’ of laws, Article 31B shields specific laws or enactments.
• According to the provision of Art.31-B, none of the laws specified in the Ninth Schedule shall be deemed to be void on the ground that it was inconsistent with any of the Fundamental Rights, notwithstanding any judgments, decree or order of any court or tribunal to the contrary.