Quota row: Karnataka files SLP in Supreme Court over reservation breaching 50% mark

On October 12, the High Court — stating that the enhancement was “constitutionally impermissible” — had quashed the higher quota for SCs and STs that took the total reservation in Karnataka to 56%, breaching the cap of 50% imposed by the Supreme Court in 1992.

The State government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the High Court of Karnataka’s decision that quashed the increase of reservation to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) from 15% to 17% and 3% to 7%, respectively.

The State government, through a Government Order dated October 27, approved filing of the SLP in the SC after the Cabinet on October 15 decided to file the SLP.

On October 12, the High Court — stating that the enhancement was “constitutionally impermissible” — had quashed the higher quota for SCs and STs that took the total reservation in Karnataka to 56%, breaching the cap of 50% imposed by the Supreme Court in 1992.

In Karnataka, the total reservation matrix provides 15% to SCs, 3% to STs, and 32% to OBCs, taking the total to 50%. The enhancement to 17% to SCs and 7% to STs was brought through 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, following a recommendation from the commission headed by retired judge H.N. Nagamohan Das. The High Court held the legislation as ultra vires against the Constitution and struck down Sections 3 and 4 of the Act.

A note from the Chief Minister’s Office on Wednesday said that the Congress government will continue to pursue with the Centre to insert the legislation in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution and outlined the efforts of the government towards the cause.

It said that when the government allowed recruitment for 56,432 posts in February, 2026, it protected the 6% reservation for SC/ STs under the backlog. On December 18, 2025, a resolution was moved in the legislature to urge the Centre to insert the legislation in the 9th Schedule to give protection to the legislation, it added.

Attacking the BJP for not doing enough to further this cause, the Congress government said that though the Nagamohan Das Commission had recommended both an increase in reservation and bringing it in the 9th Schedule and the then Law Minister J.C. Madhuswamy had announced that it would be carried through, the BJP government eventually resorted to an Ordinance and got the legislation approved before the 2023 Assembly elections.

“On March 21, 2023, the then Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment and MP for Chitradurga A. Narayanaswamy informed Parliament that the Centre had not received any proposal from Karnataka. After this, the BJP government sent a proposal to the Centre seven weeks prior to the Assembly polls,” the note pointed out, stating that the BJP failed to give the move any legal protection.