Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Home Minister G. Parameshwara have separately asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide constitutional protection to the state’s law increasing reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in educational institutions and government employment.
The ministers have sought a constitutional amendment to place the law in the Ninth Schedule, arguing that the move would protect the expanded reservation framework from legal challenge. The state legislature had increased SC reservation from 15% to 17% and ST reservation from 3% to 7%. The legislation was subsequently enacted as a law.
The increase took the total reservation in Karnataka to 56%, exceeding the 50% limit referred to in the Supreme Court’s reservation jurisprudence. According to the report, the Karnataka High Court struck down the increase on October 12, 2026, citing the 50% ceiling. The state government has already challenged that judgment in the Supreme Court.
In their letters, Shivakumar and Parameshwara said the pendency of judicial proceedings should not lead the Union government to defer its decision indefinitely. They urged the Centre to pursue a legislative solution and introduce a constitutional amendment Bill in Parliament to give the Karnataka law statutory protection.
The state government had first submitted its proposal to the Union government on March 23, 2023. The Karnataka Legislative Assembly later passed a resolution on December 18, 2025, seeking constitutional protection for the expanded reservation structure. The ministers also referred to a detailed letter written by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on April 16, 2026, reiterating the request to include the law in the Ninth Schedule.
The Union government acknowledged receiving Karnataka’s proposal in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on July 25, 2026. However, it had stated that inclusion in the Ninth Schedule was not appropriate while the matter remained pending before the High Court. The latest letters argue that the High Court has now delivered its order and that the issue is progressing through the appeal process.
The ministers have also asked the Centre to consult the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes under Articles 338(9) and 338A(9) of the Constitution. They requested time-bound directions to the Union ministries of Law, Social Justice, Tribal Affairs and Home Affairs to examine the proposal.
Karnataka has cited Tamil Nadu’s 69% reservation framework as a precedent. Tamil Nadu’s reservation law was placed under the Ninth Schedule through the Constitution’s 76th Amendment in 1994. The ministers said Karnataka’s request for 56% reservation was based on the report of the Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission and the 2011 Census.
Parameshwara has separately written to Home Minister Amit Shah and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar. He called for a national discussion on the relevance of the 50% reservation ceiling in light of changing social conditions and asked the Union government to take a time-bound decision on Karnataka’s long-standing request.
