BENGALURU: Karnataka on Friday approved a revised system of sub-quotas for Scheduled Castes (SC) within the state’s overall 15% reservation limit for Dalits, in response to a long-pending demand.
The decision was taken at a special Cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Cabinet has decided to implement a quota of 5.25% for so-called right Dalits and so-called left Dalits and 4.5% for other SC groups.
Dalit communities are internally divided into right-wing (Balagai) and left-wing (Idajai) factions for purposes of internal reservation, and consist primarily of Adi Karnataka (right) and Adi Jambava/Madija (left) subgroups. These groups are characterized by historical, social and regional differences, which often affect political alliances. Right-wing groups were often associated with land tenure and skilled occupations, while left-wing groups were associated with more marginalized work and faced greater social deprivation.
“From tomorrow onwards, the recruitment process will start by issuing notifications,” the Prime Minister said.
Karnataka has become the third state after Haryana and Telangana to implement sub-quotas for SCs, almost two years after the Supreme Court allowed the sub-quota.
Siddaramaiah said the final decision was based on the recommendations of a technical committee, with some changes made by the Cabinet.
He added: “It was decided at the last cabinet meeting to form a technical committee regarding internal reservation, and that committee submitted its report on Friday. The report recommended allocating 5.3% to the left-handed community, and 5.3% and 4.4% to the left-handed community, but after discussion in the cabinet meeting, the reservation share was allocated at rates of 5.25%, 5.25%, and 4.5%.”
The revised structure keeps the total SC reservation at 15%. The government had previously considered increasing it to 17% and dividing it into 6%, 6%, and 5%. However, this would have pushed the total reservation in the state to 56%, exceeding the 50% ceiling.
“The court ordered that the seizure rate should not exceed 50%,” Siddaramaiah said.
The issue of internal reservation has been a subject of debate for years, especially among groups historically classified as so-called “left-handed” and so-called “right-handed.” These categories have roots in ancient social structures in South India.
The latest decision comes after consultations with community leaders. Support for internal reservation was strengthened at a conference in Chitradurga led by Minister G Parameshwara, where representatives of 101 SC communities supported the proposal, Siddaramaiah said.
Earlier, the government relied on the findings of the A.G. Sadashiva Committee and the Nagammohan Das Committee. Although the recommendations of the Nagammohan Das Committee were accepted and turned into law, it faced problems during implementation, especially with regard to the roster system used for recruitment.
Legal challenges followed, including petitions from Bedouin communities. The courts raised concerns about the structure and whether it would breach the 50% cap, forcing the government to reconsider its plan.
To address this problem, a technical committee led by the Chief Secretary was formed on April 16. She analyzed the data and proposed a revised distribution of 5.3%, 5.3%, and 4.4%. The Council of Ministers modified these numbers slightly before approving the final structure.
Siddaramaiah said the new formula will be followed while filling the 56,432 posts announced in the state budget. “We are a party that supports social justice. Therefore, there was some delay in the decision regarding internal reservation. All the ministers agreed unanimously, so he expressed confidence that Dalit organizations will also agree,” he said.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Hong Kong Patel said the decision came after extensive discussions. “There was discussion on the issue of internal reservation in the standing committees. But a decision was taken that should be a model for the country. This issue was the subject of a lot of discussion. The law had to be made by convincing all the communities. The law had to be made by taking the House into confidence. He succeeded in taking a decision on the list issue as well,” said C Dharamaya.
Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa said, “This is a historic decision. Today it was discussed for 5 to 10 minutes and a unanimous decision was taken. This reflects the party’s position and the government’s commitment. The decision was delayed due to points in the list… Some people agitated and created confusion. The list points will be fixed at 15%. If the reserved posts (vacancies) in the SC are less than 15, there will be no internal quota but it is open to all SC members.”
Meanwhile, Home Minister and prominent Dalit leader Dr. J. Parameshwara: “Haryana, Punjab, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have similar models. The case of Karnataka is unique in that it has 101 SC communities, with many smaller communities feeling deprived. Today we have guaranteed justice for all. Every fifth position in Group C will be reserved for Alimaris. The Karnataka model can be emulated as we have shown how to implement it legally, politically and administratively.”
