Karnataka government skirts internal reservation in recruitments

In a move that has left the Dalit Left communities upset, the Karnataka government has asked the authorities/departments to kick-start the recruitment process for 56,432 posts with quota for 101 Scheduled Castes at 15%, but without internal reservation.

With this, while the State government has announced one of largest recruitment drives to fill posts amid pressure from aspirants, the hopes of Dalit Left communities to secure internal reservation — a demand of over three decades — has not been met.

Capped at 50%

The Government Order (GO), issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, accessed by The Hindu, caps the overall quota at 50%, but 2% and 4% of posts have been asked to be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, respectively, subject to the court’s final order on increasing reservation beyond 50%.

The GO asks authorities/department to initiate recruitment notifications over the next 30 days to fill 56,432 posts, based on the reservation order and 100 points roster prevailing prior to December 28, 2022. They have been asked to follow the June 20, 1995, order that fixed the roster, and continue the roster from the point where it was stopped as per the December 12, 2022, order.

Under each category of vertical reservation, the government has asked authorities to adhere to March 8, 2023, order to provide for reservation to ex-servicemen, physically challenged people, rural candidates, women, Kannada-medium candidates, third gender candidates and those who lost homes in projects.

With the government kickstarting recruitment process without provisions for internal reservation, it will in effect disregard two new pieces of legislation — The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or posts in the Services under the State) Act, 2022, that increases reservation for SCs from 15 % to 17 % and STs from 3 % to 7 %, and The Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-classification) Bill, 2025, for internal reservation that has received the Governor’s assent.

The Governor had given his assent to internal quota Bill on Thursday. In the overall 17% reservation to SCs, the Bill provides for 6% each to Dalit left and Dalit right, and 5% to “touchable” castes of Bhovi, Lambani, Korama and Koracha along with 59 nomadic communities.

Court order

However, the High Court of Karnataka, in October 2025, had restrained the State government from making recruitments based on the August 25, 2025 notification of revised sub-classification of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. The court passed this interim order hearing a petition filed by Confederation of Untouchable Nomadic Communities of Karnataka and others from the nomadic and semi-nomadic communities of SCs. 

Interestingly, the 17% reservation for SCs with internal reservation, and 7% for STs is being implemented in educational institutions.

Meanwhile, for notification for recruitment issued before November 27, 2025, the authorities have been asked to finalise the process, but the appointment orders should compulsorily carry the condition that the recruitment is subject to the final outcome in the court.

The Karnataka High Court, in November 2025, held that no further notification for recruitment be done based on the increased reservation in the 2022 Act.

Ministers’ promise

The GO comes amid claims of two Dalit Left Ministers in the Cabinet, K.H. Muniyappa and R.B. Thimmapur, that the government would not take up the recruitment process without internal reservation. With this promise, the Ministers had asked the community leaders to refrain from taking up any protest. It is learnt that the Dalit right Ministers were opposed to providing for internal reservation within the reduced quota of 15%.

Protest on March 11, meeting Rahul

The Committee for Internal Reservation for Social Justice has threatened a protest on March 11 if internal reservation is not included in the recruitment. It has also threatened an indefinite fast in front of Cabinet Minister’s offices in districts, besides a Tumakuru-Bengaluru padayatra. A meeting with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is also planned.

“Whether it is at 15% or 17%, internal reservation has to be provided for,” said Basavaraj Kowthal, convener of the committee, which met in Tumakuru on Saturday to draw plans for protests.

“Dalit left communities voted for Congress this time in big numbers following assurances of internal reservation. Though the Bill has been enacted to allow this, not providing it when the largest recruitment process in recent decades is under way is social injustice,” he lamented.

Published – March 01, 2026 06:00 am IST