Karnataka High Court Strikes Down SC ST Reservation Law

The Karnataka High Court struck down Sections 3 and 4 of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act, 2022, ruling that the law is unconstitutional. A bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K S Hemalekha found that the legislation pushed the state's aggregate reservation to 56%, breaching the 50% ceiling established by the Supreme Court in the 1992 Indra Sawhney case. The court also determined that the state government failed to meaningfully consult the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes before enacting the law.

Passed under the previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai, the law had increased Scheduled Caste quotas from 15% to 17% and Scheduled Tribe quotas from 3% to 7%. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the ruling as a setback for social justice. They criticized the previous administration for prioritizing electoral advantage over constitutional sustainability.

The current state government is examining legal remedies, including a potential appeal to the Supreme Court. Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government to review the 50% reservation ceiling and approve Karnataka's request to include the provisions in the Constitution's Ninth Schedule.