Legislation providing internal quota to Scheduled Castes on hold?

Over a month after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot gave his assent to The Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-classification) Bill, 2025, that provides for internal reservation among the 101 Scheduled Castes within the 17% SC reservation quota, the State government is yet to gazette the same.

The government is learnt to have put the legislation on hold for now in view of potential legal challenges and also under pressure from those against the current internal reservation matrix.

“It is unlikely that the government would gazette the Act before an agreement is arrived at on the internal reservation among the Dalit Left and the Dalit Right factions,” sources told The Hindu.

Incidentally, a special Cabinet meeting to arrive at a consensus on internal reservation scheduled on March 27 had to be postponed owing to the Model Code of Conduct for byelections in Bagalkot and Davangere South Assembly constituencies.

Law Department sources acknowledged that legislations are normally published in the gazette immediately after it receives the Governor’s assent, following which rules are framed to implement the Act.

The Act can be implemented only after it is published in the gazette.

Clarifications

While the Bill was passed during the Winter Session in Belagavi during December, 2025, the Governor had returned the Bill seeking certain clarifications, which the government provided. The Governor eventually gave his assent on February 28 after the group of Dalit Ministers met him to apprise him of the pressure on the government to initiate recruitment process.

The legislation provides for internal reservation among the Scheduled Castes with the Dalit Left (Madiga) and the Dalit Right (Holeyas) receiving 6% and “touchable” castes of Lambanis, Bhovis, Koramas, and Korachas along 59 nomadic communities receiving 5% within the 17% reservation quota for SCs.

It is learnt that after the Governor’s assent, the Act is yet to reach the Social Welfare Department, which has to gazette it. The Department of Law and Parliamentary Affairs is yet to send the legislation after considering various legal aspects involved in the reservation issue, sources said.

“The Law Department has to examine the High Court stay on fresh appointments as per 17% reservation,” said another government source.

Legal issues

Currently, multiple cases related to SC reservation are pending in the Karnataka High Court. The increase in reservation quota for SCs from 15% to 17% and for STs from 3% to 7%, which has breached the Supreme Court mandated 50% reservation cap, has been questioned. Besides, the nomadic communities have also gone to court against the government’s decision not to provide them a separate category of internal reservation as recommended by the H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission. Currently, the government has grouped nomadic castes in Category C along with relatively better off “touchable” castes.

The legal challenges has also affected the public recruitment, and the government had to face the wrath of the youth recently, forcing it to announce recruitment to 56,432 posts.

According to another source, the government also expects legal challenges to the recruitment process. “The government wants to kick start recruitment drive with 15% reservation. Though internal reservation has not been notified, the Dalit Left is adamant on it. If the Act comes into force at 17% with internal reservation, there could be legal challenges,” sources said.