Karnataka Cabinet to Decide on SC, ST Quota Appeal Against High Court Order: Parameshwara
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet will decide whether to challenge the High Court order quashing the increase in reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Supreme Court, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said the government would examine the available legal options within the constitutional framework before deciding its next course of action.
The previous government had increased SC reservation from 15% to 17% and ST reservation from 3% to 7%, taking the overall reservation in the state from 50% to 56%. Official orders were issued to implement the revised quotas, which were also followed in subsequent recruitment processes. The present government, too, had supported the increase, he said.
Parameshwara said reservation was intended to ensure adequate representation for communities that had faced historical exclusion from education, employment and other social opportunities. He stressed the need to uphold social justice and equality in keeping with the constitutional vision of Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
Referring to Tamil Nadu, where reservation stands at 69%, Parameshwara said it was his personal view that Karnataka could also have considered the increase as a special case.
The state government will examine the implications of the High Court order for recruitment processes already completed and admissions granted to students. It will also seek legal advice on whether the order would apply retrospectively to processes conducted under the revised reservation policy.
The government will separately assess the order’s impact on internal reservation among Scheduled Castes, he said.
The Advocate General and the Law Department will be consulted before the Cabinet takes a final decision on whether to approach the Supreme Court, Parameshwara added.
