Karnataka Cabinet decides to provide internal reservation among SCs

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to provide internal reservation among Scheduled Castes by categorising 101 castes among them into three categories, official sources said.

In a special meeting on Tuesday, the cabinet discussed the recommendations of the Justice H N Nagmohan Das Commission report, aimed at providing internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SCs).

The commission had submitted its 1,766-page report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 4, and it was placed before the cabinet on August 7.

The internal reservation is aimed at slicing up the 17 per cent reservation matrix given to 101 scheduled castes.

According to sources, the cabinet decided to accept the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission’s report, but made some alterations.

Of the 17 per cent reservation that SCs have in the state, as per the internal reservation formula evolved by the cabinet, the SC (Right) and SC (Left) will get 6 per cent each, while the ‘touchable’ Dalit communities (Lambani, Bhovi, Korma and Korcha) and most backward and nomadic communities got 5 per cent quota.

The commission had reportedly made recommendation for internal reservation in five categories — ‘most backward’ communities (group A)- 1 per cent; SC (Left)/Madiga community (group B) 6 per cent; SC (Right)/ Holeya (group C) 5 per cent; ‘touchable’ communities (group D) 4 per cent, and Adi Karnataka, Adi Dravida and Adi Andhra communities (group E) 1 per cent.

The commission’s report was not officially made public.

Speaking to reporters, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the cabinet meeting had been “fruitful” and ministers representing all SC communities are satisfied.

“The cabinet meeting went on for about two-and-a-half hours. All of us have come out of the cabinet hall happy and satisfied. The state legislature is in session, and there is no scope for revealing details. The chief minister will make a statement on behalf of the government on the floor of the House tomorrow,” he said.

However, Minister for Backwards Class Development Shivaraj Tangadagi confirmed that internal reservation has been decided upon by making three groups among SCs — right, left and others. He termed the cabinet decision “historical”.

“Reservations provided for these three categories are six, six and five per cent, respectively. After a detailed discussion, we all accepted it.

“The most backwards communities categorised under group A by the commission, have been added to the group of ‘Touchable’ Dalits (Bhovi, Banjara, Korma and Korcha). While group E of the commission have been added to group B and C,” he added.

According to sources, most backwards and nomadic communities are apparently not happy with the decision.

The government, in November last year, set up the Justice Nagmohan Das commission to recommend internal reservation among SCs by gathering empirical data.

This came after the Supreme Court last year allowed states to provide internal reservation, and the Karnataka Cabinet agreed to implement internal reservation.

In a landmark verdict delivered by the Supreme Court on August 1 last year, it held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward.