The policy of positive discrimination and affirmative action in India evolved as a response to centuries of social inequality, caste-based discrimination, and exclusion faced by marginalized communities. It is rooted in the principles of social justice, equality, and inclusive development. The primary objective of affirmative action is to provide disadvantaged groups with equal opportunities in education, employment, and political participation so that they can overcome historical disadvantages and participate fully in national development. The origins of positive discrimination can be traced to the social reform movements of the nineteenth century. Reformers such as Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai Phule, Narayana Guru, and later Dr. B.R. Ambedkar challenged the caste system and demanded equal rights for oppressed communities. During the colonial period, the British government introduced limited measures for the representation of disadvantaged groups. The Government of India Act, 1909, provided separate electorates for certain communities, while the Government of India Act, 1919, expanded representation. The Communal Award of 1932 proposed separate electorates for the Depressed Classes, but it was modified through the Poona Pact between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The Pact replaced separate electorates with reserved seats for Scheduled Castes in legislatures. After independence, the makers of the Indian Constitution recognized that formal equality alone could not eliminate centuries of discrimination. Therefore, they adopted the principle of substantive equality by allowing the State to make special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes. The Constitution guarantees equality before law under Article 14 while permitting protective discrimination through Articles 15 and 16. Article 15(4), introduced by the