The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed a landmark piece of legislation, the Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-Classification) Bill, 2025, providing a legal framework for internal reservation among Scheduled Caste communities. The bill's passage is set to end a nearly year-long freeze on government appointments in the state.
A Long-Awaited Legal Framework
The Bill, passed with support from both treasury and opposition benches, follows a state Cabinet decision last week. It formally divides the existing 17 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes into three distinct categories, covering 101 SC communities in Karnataka. Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa, while introducing the bill, cited an August 2024 Supreme Court order that empowered the state to implement such internal reservation.
The freeze on government appointments, which was effected in November 2024, will now be lifted. The state government had earlier decided to hold back fresh recruitment until the complex issue of internal reservation was legally resolved. Implementing this sub-categorization was a key electoral promise of the ruling Congress party.
The Three-Way Split and Credit War
As per the approved matrix, the 17% quota is now allocated as follows:
- Category A (SC Left - 16 communities): 6% reservation
- Category B (SC Right - 19 communities): 6% reservation
- Category C (Other SCs - 63 communities): 5% reservation
Additionally, three non-categorised SC castes—Adi Andhra, Adi Dravida, and Adi Karnataka—can choose to seek reservation under either Category A or B.
The debate in the Assembly quickly turned into a political credit war. Deputy Leader of Opposition Arvind Bellad (BJP) asserted that the previous BJP government under Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had first announced the internal reservation policy. IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge countered, questioning why the BJP failed to implement it, emphasizing that the legal provision came only after the Supreme Court's 2024 order.
Concerns and Suggestions from Legislators
Several MLAs raised specific concerns during the discussion. BJP's Krishna Nayak expressed apprehension that the 5 per cent reservation for Category C might be diluted to accommodate nomadic tribes, further reducing quotas for these communities. JD(S) legislator Suresh Gowda urged the government to align reservation percentages with the population proportion of each community.
An interesting suggestion came from Basavaraj Rayareddi, Economic Advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He proposed increasing the overall SC reservation from 17% to 18% to ensure communities in Category C are not disadvantaged, urging the CM to explore its legal feasibility.
The passage of this Bill marks a significant step in Karnataka's social justice landscape, aiming to ensure more equitable distribution of reservation benefits among the diverse Scheduled Caste communities. Its immediate effect will be the resumption of thousands of government job appointments that were put on hold.
