Arunachal minister warns 80:20 job quota may be struck down if challenged in court

Arunachal Pradesh Industries and IPR Minister Nyato Dukam has cautioned that the state's 80:20 job reservation policy could face legal hurdles if challenged in court, amid growing demands from various organisations to scrap the provision reserving 20 per cent of jobs for non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) candidates.

Responding to the ongoing debate over the reservation policy, Dukam said there was a possibility that the entire 80:20 arrangement could be invalidated if subjected to judicial scrutiny.

"If someone goes to court, there are apprehensions that the entire 80:20 reservation policy may get scrapped because we are reserving jobs against the Central government's job policy," the minister said.

His remarks come as several unions and civil society organisations have intensified their demand for the abolition of the 80:20 recruitment policy, arguing that all state government jobs should be reserved exclusively for indigenous Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe candidates.

The minister's statement signals the government's concern over the legal sustainability of the existing reservation framework, suggesting that any litigation could have wider implications for the state's recruitment policy.

The issue has sparked a fresh political and public debate in Arunachal Pradesh, with stakeholders divided between protecting employment opportunities for indigenous communities and ensuring that recruitment policies remain legally tenable.