Bengaluru, 24 April  

A special meeting of the Karnataka Cabinet on Friday cleared a revised internal reservation formula for Scheduled Castes within the overall 15 per cent quota, paving the way for long-pending government recruitment.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Cabinet approved 5.25 per cent reservation each for the “right-hand groups” and “left-hand groups”, and about 4.5 per cent for other Scheduled Castes, including nomadic communities.

“Finally, the Cabinet unanimously decided on 5.25 per cent, 5.25 per cent, and 4.5 per cent allocations,” he said, stressing that the categorisation had been worked out proportionately after revising the quota.

“From tomorrow onwards, the recruitment process will begin with the issuance of notifications,” he said, adding that immediate steps would be taken for recruitment under internal reservation.

Siddaramaiah said the government had initially proposed 17 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and seven per cent for Scheduled Tribes, but the quota was reduced to 15 per cent for SCs and three per cent for STs due to judicial constraints. “Based on the 50 per cent ceiling, SC reservation comes to 15 per cent and ST to 3 per cent,” he said.

Referring to the legal position, he said the cap flows from the ceiling laid down in the Indra Sawhney case, and added that the Supreme Court, in a Constitution Bench ruling, had allowed internal reservation within constitutional limits.

The 1992 Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case upheld the 50 per cent cap on total reservations. It confirmed that while reservations for SCs and STs may continue, the total extent of reservations should generally not exceed 50 per cent.

Flanked by Dalit Cabinet colleagues, the CM asserted that there were no differences of opinion during the meeting. “The entire Cabinet accepted this categorisation without any dissent,” he said, naming ministers including KH Muniyappa, Dr G Parameshwara, Mahadevappa, Priyank Kharge, and Satish Jarkiholi.

Tracing the background, Siddaramaiah said the move followed years of demands for internal reservation and recalled that all sub-groups had earlier reached a consensus at a Scheduled Castes convention.

A commission headed by retired judge HN Nagamohan Das had subsequently submitted a report, which formed the basis for the government’s decision.

He said the earlier notification based on the 6-6-5 formula would be withdrawn and replaced with a fresh notification reflecting the revised structure.

Siddaramaiah added that the six per cent reservation kept aside following court intervention would remain as backlog until a final verdict. “The six per cent kept aside will remain as a backlog until the final court decision,” he said. He further said that within Category C, a portion would be earmarked for nomadic communities. “That effectively means one post out of every five posts in that category,” he said, explaining the internal allocation.

Until the courts deliver a final ruling, recruitment and admissions will continue within the 50 per cent ceiling, the CM said. “Once the court gives its final verdict, appropriate action will be taken,” he added.