What is the role of the President in specifying Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India?
The President of India plays a crucial role in specifying Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the country. With respect to any State or Union territory, and after consultation with the Governor of the State, the President may issue a public notification specifying the castes, races, or tribes, or parts of or groups within them, which shall be deemed to be Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in relation to that State or Union territory for the purposes of the Constitution. Parliament may include or exclude any caste, race, tribe, or part of or group within them from the list specified in the notification, but any subsequent notification cannot vary the initial notification issued by the President.