The Karnataka government, on Wednesday, took a significant step in the long-standing debate on internal reservation by introducing The Scheduled Castes (Sub-Categorisation) Bill, 2025, in the state legislative assembly. The proposed legislation aims to reclassify the existing 17% reservation for the 101 Scheduled Castes in the state into three distinct categories.
Breaking Down the New Reservation Formula
Under the new bill presented by Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa, the 17% quota will be divided as follows: 6% each for the Dalit Left and Dalit Right communities, and 5% for Lambanis, Koramas, Korachas, Bhovis, and 59 Alemari (nomadic) communities collectively. This move is expected to generate a heated debate in the assembly, likely on Thursday or Friday.
The government's formula has already become a point of contention. It notably departs from the recommendations of the Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission, which had suggested a five-category split: Left (6%), Right (5%), touchable castes (4%), small castes (1%), and nomadic castes (1%). A major criticism is the clubbing of nomadic communities with relatively forward groups like Koracha and Lambani.
Political Reactions and Legal Hurdles
The bill has drawn immediate criticism from the opposition. BJP leader and Dalit legislator Basavaraj Mattimud stated, "The bill does not bring anything new into the recategorisation. This indicates that the govt is indifferent to demands of nomadic castes. We will present our view strongly during the debate."
Adding to the complexity, two cases challenging the reclassification are already pending in the Karnataka High Court, which could impact the implementation of the new law.
In a related development, the government also tabled The Karnataka State Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Amendment) Bill, 2025. This bill seeks to establish a permanent commission for Dalits, similar to the Backward Classes Commission. The government may refer matters concerning SC reservation reclassification to this proposed body.
Other Key Bills Passed by the Assembly
The assembly session was busy, passing several other important pieces of legislation:
The Drugs and Cosmetics (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed to tighten enforcement against adulterated and spurious drugs. Key provisions include:
- Setting up a state drug testing laboratory.
- Making offences cognisable and non-bailable.
- Shifting the burden of proof onto manufacturers and wholesalers.
- Reducing the maximum punishment from life imprisonment to standard imprisonment.
The Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was also cleared. It mandates the registration of ambulances and mobile clinics. Crucially, it requires medical institutions to implement an app-based hailing service similar to Ola and Uber to improve access to emergency and mobile healthcare.
For urban governance, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed. It allows for the renaming of newly formed city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, aiming to streamline urban transport management.
Finally, the assembly approved the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025. This amendment changes how the one-time vehicle cess is calculated. Instead of a flat fee of Rs 1,000, the cess will now be linked to the purchase value of new vehicles. The funds, remitted to the Karnataka Road Safety Fund, finance road safety programs and awareness campaigns. This change aims to make funding more proportional by levying a higher cess on costlier vehicles, thereby boosting resources for accident prevention and infrastructure improvement.
