Government tables Bill on SC/ST quota hike in Karnataka Assembly

The BJP government on Tuesday introduced a Bill that will replace an ordinance that is in effect to increase reservation for SCs and STs.

The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Education Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services Under the State) Bill was introduced in the Assembly by Law Minister JC Madhuswamy.

In October, the government promulgated an ordinance increasing reservation for SCs from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and STs from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. This takes the total reservation tally to 56 per cent, above the 50 per cent ceiling fixed by the Supreme Court.

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“...the government is satisfied about the extraordinary circumstances and a special case for an increase in reservations for members belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (sic),” the Bill states.

The Bill cites findings of the Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission that recommended hiking the SC/ST reservation, such as “evidence of social and educational backwardness that renders many of the [SC/ST] castes and communities marginalised”.

The Bill also points out that “many other states” have exceeded the 50 per cent quota limit.

Even before the government introduced the Bill, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah moved an adjournment motion seeking a debate on the quota hike, which led to a brief duel with the treasury benches.

When Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol quipped that the Congress was “blocking” the reservation hike fearing that the BJP would get the credit, Siddaramaiah shot back by saying the saffron party had opposed the Mandal Commission and reservations in higher education.

“We are all for the SC/ST quota hike. We had said during the all-party meeting that we’d support it. But, it has been done without inclusion under the 9th Schedule of the Constitution. It is pointless to hike the quota without bringing it under the 9th Schedule,” Siddaramaiah said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government is “looking forward” to a discussion on the matter. “Our intent is the same. We need to discuss the legal way forward,” he said.

Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri suggested that Siddaramaiah’s motion can be clubbed with the discussion on the Bill. When Siddaramaiah did not agree, Law Minister JC Madhuswamy said there cannot be two debates on the same issue. “Will you discuss the same issue twice?” the minister said.

Finally, Kageri said he would allow a separate discussion on Siddaramaiah’s motion.