Bengaluru, October 13 (TNA) The Karnataka High Court has struck down provisions of a 2022 law that increased reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) from 15% to 17% and for Scheduled Tribes (STs) from 3% to 7%. The court held that the move raised the state’s total reservation to 56%, breaching the 50% ceiling laid down by the Supreme Court.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha declared the relevant provisions of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in Services under the State) Act, 2022, unconstitutional.
Sections 3 and 4 struck down
The court struck down Section 3 to the extent that it pushed aggregate reservation beyond 50%, holding that it violated Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution. Section 4, which provided enhanced SC/ST reservation in state government services, was also declared unconstitutional for violating Articles 14 and 16.
The ruling effectively restores the earlier SC quota of 15% and ST quota of 3%, subject to further legal proceedings or any appeal by the state government.
Court cites equality principle
The High Court rejected the argument that inadequate representation of SCs and STs justified crossing the 50% limit. It said a state government’s “subjective opinion” about inadequate representation cannot, by itself, permit reservations beyond the ceiling.
The 50% limit was laid down by the Supreme Court in its 1992 judgment in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India and has subsequently been reaffirmed in several decisions.
State may challenge order
The judgment is a setback to the Karnataka government, which had supported the enhanced quota provisions. The state is expected to examine the order and may challenge it before the Supreme Court. The decision is likely to revive the wider constitutional debate over the 50% reservation ceiling, particularly in states seeking higher quotas for socially and educationally backward communities.