Karnataka SC/ST Quota: State Moves Supreme Court Against HC Ruling
Admissions and state jobs in Karnataka stay under the old 15% and 3% quotas unless the Supreme Court revives the 2022 increase.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Karnataka government has filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s 12 October order that quashed its increase in reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the state said in a release on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. The High Court had struck down the 2022 law that raised the SC quota from 15 to 17 per cent and the ST quota from 3 to 7 per cent, and the state wants the verdict set aside.
Old Quotas Apply Until the Court Decides
With the 2022 increase quashed, the higher quotas do not stand for now in educational institutions and state government jobs. The enhanced quota had covered 103 sub-castes among Scheduled Castes and 56 sub-groups among Scheduled Tribes. How ongoing recruitment and admissions are treated depends on the court’s directions and the outcome of the appeal.
Why the High Court Struck It Down
A bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K S Hemalekha heard a public interest petition by Mahendra Kumar Mitra against the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation) Act, 2022. The law took the combined SC and ST quota from 18 to 24 per cent and total reservation in the state from 50 to 56 per cent. The court held that consultation with the National Commissions for SC and ST was mandatory, and that letters sent after the law was passed did not meet that requirement, according to reports.
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The increase followed the recommendations of the Justice Nagamohan Das Committee. The then BJP government under Basavaraj Bommai promulgated an ordinance, later passed legislation before the 2023 Assembly elections, and said the quota would be placed in the Ninth Schedule.
Cabinet Cleared the Appeal on 15 October
The state Cabinet decided on 15 October to challenge the verdict. A Government Order followed on 27 October, and approval to file the appeal came on 28 October. Reports say the state will also seek a constitutional amendment to place the quota in the Ninth Schedule. No date for a hearing in the Supreme Court has been reported. Other Supreme Court stories are collected on IPB News.
Source: Based on reporting by ThePrint (PTI) and Siasat.
Image: IPB News archive / Karnataka High Court.
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