The Karnataka government is exploring all legal avenues, including an appeal to the Supreme Court, to challenge a High Court verdict that struck down the enhancement of reservation quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The High Court ruled that the increased quotas, which pushed the total reservation beyond the constitutionally mandated 50% ceiling, were unconstitutional.
The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 2022, had increased the SC quota from 15% to 17% and the ST quota from 3% to 7%. With the existing 32% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), this brought the overall reservation in the state to 56%. A Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha, declared Sections 3 and 4 of this Act unconstitutional, stating that exceeding the 50% limit violated Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which deal with equality before the law and prohibition of discrimination.
The judgment, delivered on October 12, 2026, follows petitions that challenged the constitutional validity of the law. Key among these were a public interest litigation filed by social worker Mahendra Kumar Mitra and a petition by civil engineering graduates challenging the enhanced reservation in recruitment for posts in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Petitioners argued that the legislation breached the constitutional limit on reservation and infringed upon the guarantees of equality and equal opportunity.
The High Court reiterated that the 50% reservation ceiling, established by the Supreme Court in the landmark Indra Sawhney judgment of 1992, is a binding constitutional principle. The court rejected the argument that demographic composition alone could justify exceeding this limit, emphasizing that any departure from the 50% cap must be justified within the constitutional framework. The bench also dismissed the contention that the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, introducing reservations for Economically Weaker Sections, had removed the 50% ceiling for other categories. Furthermore, the court noted that the state government had failed to consult the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes before enacting the law.
In response to the verdict, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara stated that the government would explore all legal options, including an appeal to the Supreme Court, to safeguard ongoing recruitment and admission processes. He urged the Central government to review the 50% reservation ceiling and consider Karnataka’s request for inclusion of the enhanced reservation provisions in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, arguing that the previous BJP government had enacted the law without securing such protection. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, under whose administration the law was passed, also urged the current government to challenge the High Court’s order in the Supreme Court.
The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 2022, was enacted during the previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai and came into force retrospectively from November 1, 2022. The Act aimed to improve the representation of SCs and STs in education and state government employment. However, the High Court’s decision has put the state’s quota policy under scrutiny, reinforcing the constitutional limits governing affirmative action policies.
The Chenab Times News Desk