Karnataka approves ordinance to hike reservations for SC/ST
2 min read . Updated: 20 Oct 2022, 09:12 PM IST
Premium- The ordinance proposed hiking the reservation for SC/ST community from 15% to 17% and 3% to 7% respectively.
The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to promulgate an ordinance increasing the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) reservation in the State. The Cabinet on October 8 accorded its formal approval to increase the SC/ST quota.
The ordinance proposed hiking the reservation for SC/ST community from 15% to 17% and 3% to 7% respectively. This will, however, take the reservation tally in Karnataka to 56%, above the 50% cap fixed by the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney judgement.
Making the announcements today, chief minister Basavaraj S Bommai said, Today my cabinet has taken an historic descision of approving the ordinance on hiking the reservation for my brothers and sisters from SC/ST community, from 15% to 17% and 3% to 7%.
This historic decision will bring light and shine into their lives and uplift them by providing adequate opportunity in education and employment, he adds.
Explaining the decision further, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said, as quoted by PTI, "Following the decision to enhance the SC/ST reservation, we introduced a bill to this effect before the cabinet, and it was decided to send it to the Governor to promulgate an ordinance."
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy told reporters here after the cabinet meeting. The government had earlier decided to issue an executive order hiking the quota. "We had earlier felt that executive decision would be enough, but later realised that if it is questioned in court of law, it may lead to issues, so we have decided to bring in an ordinance," the Minister said in response to a question.
The ordinance justifies the hike in reservation with a detailed note citing various sections of the Constitution, Madhuswamy said.
"We have stressed that there were only six castes in Karnataka under SC earlier, to which now 103 castes, nomads and slum-dwellers have been added, so the population has enormously raised, and as the Constitution calls for adequate representation we will have to give about 17 per cent reservation for SCs, hence the decision," he explained.
(With inputs from agencies)
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