A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Karnataka High Court by a law student, questioning the validity of the state's Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act 2023. After the hearing, the court issued a notice to the Karnataka government on Thursday, February 23.
The hearing took place before a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Ashok S Kinagi. The PIL was filed by Mahesh, a 24-year-old student from the KLE Law College in Bengaluru, seeking to strike down the said Act as unconstitutional and ultra vires Article 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution, as per a report by The New Indian Express.
Stating that he is an aspiring candidate to join the services in Karnataka, the petitioner explained that the state government increased the reservation of seats in educational institutions and appointments for posts in the services for persons belonging to SC from 15 to 17 per cent, and from 3 to 7 per cent for ST, by promulgating an Ordinance on October 23, 2022. The Act was enacted in January 2023.
The petitioner said that the Act appeared to be enacted on the ground that many other states have increased the reservation quota from time to time, exceeding the limit of 50 per cent in utter disregard of the law laid down by the Supreme Court. If enforced, the impugned Act will provide 56 per cent reservation in educational institutions as well as in posts and appointments in services. "It will prejudicially affect the rights of the petitioner as well as other similarly situated persons," the petition states, as per the report in TNIE.
