The Karnataka government has moved the Supreme Court against a High Court ruling that struck down its decision to increase reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from 50% to 56%, reopening a major legal dispute over the state’s quota framework.
The state filed a special leave petition through advocate Rajesh G. Inamdar, challenging the High Court judgment. The move follows a Cabinet decision that the government should immediately approach the Supreme Court to prevent what it described as injustice to the affected communities.
The reservation increase was introduced by the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government. Under amendments to the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the State Services) Act, 2022, Scheduled Caste reservation was raised from 15% to 17%, while Scheduled Tribe reservation was increased from 3% to 7%.
A Gazette notification giving effect to the changes was issued in January 2023. The amendments were intended to provide legal protection to the enhanced quota. However, the move was challenged through separate public interest litigations filed by Mahendra Kumar Mithra of Raichur and H.S. Sagar of Bengaluru.
A two-member High Court bench headed by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru upheld the petitions. The bench held that the increase took total reservations beyond the 50% ceiling and amounted to a violation of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, according to the report.
The dispute concerns both the constitutional limits on reservations and the extent of a state’s authority to alter its quota structure. The Karnataka government has argued that the enhanced reservation requires constitutional protection and has criticised the Centre for not taking steps on the issue.
The Congress government said that five Union ministers from Karnataka and 19 MPs belonging to the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) in the Lok Sabha had not secured a constitutional amendment on the matter. It said the state had therefore been compelled to approach the Supreme Court after failing to obtain such protection in 2023 and subsequently.
The High Court ruling has already affected the operation of the revised quota. The state government recently clarified that recruitment processes would continue under the earlier 50% reservation structure because the additional 6% reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had been set aside.
The Supreme Court petition will now determine whether the enhanced quota can be restored, protected through constitutional measures or kept subject to the earlier reservation framework. Until further directions, the state’s recruitment processes are to proceed under the pre-enhancement 50% arrangement.
