BELAGAVI: In a major step towards giving legal backing to its historic internal reservation decision for Scheduled Castes, the government on Thursday approved the Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-Classification) Bill — paving the way for a structured 6-6-5 quota formula among SC sub-groups.
The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting held at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, highly-placed sources told TNIE. The Bill seeks to convert the government order issued on August 25 into law, and it is expected to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
According to the order, the state’s 101 Scheduled Castes were divided into three categories -- Category A (Left-Hand communities) was allotted 6 per cent internal reservation, Category B (Right-Hand communities) got 6 per cent, and Category C was given 5 per cent. The government has now moved to provide legal protection to this categorisation, shielding it from judicial scrutiny.
The move builds on recommendations of the Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission, which had advised dividing SCs into five categories — A, B, C, D and E. However, considering the principles laid down by Supreme Court and after modifying the framework, the government adopted a three-category model for “equity and fairness” in access to education, employment and welfare opportunities.
The Cabinet also decided to set up a permanent commission for Scheduled Castes to regularly study demographic and socio-economic shifts within SC communities, review data and recommend periodic adjustments to the reservation structure.
With government recruitments stalled due to the High Court’s recent stay on 56% total reservation structure, the Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to defending the enhanced quota in court. Sources said the Cabinet held a detailed discussion on the High Court’s interim order and resolved to pursue the legal battle to retain the 56% reservation cap, up from the constitutional 50% ceiling.
IPL matches after compliance
The Cabinet decided to accord permission for IPL matches in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, subject to compliance with the Justice D’Cunha Inquiry Commission, standard operating procedures and other safety measures. It decided to hand over responsibility of giving the nod for IPL matches to Home Minister Dr Parameshwara.
The D’Cunha Commission probing the IPL stampede that left 11 dead and several injured had stated that the stadium lacked infrastructure and facilities to hold a major public event.
This story is reported by Naushad Bijapur of The New Indian Express.
