He added that the possibility of approaching the Supreme Court would also be discussed. After the Karnataka High Court struck down provisions of a 2022 state law that increased reservation quota for SC and ST communities, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the state cabinet would decide on the next course of action.
When our government came to power, we continued implementing this arrangement. “Some people approached the court against it. The Cabinet will decide on the next course of action. The possibility of approaching the Supreme Court will be discussed,” he added. He added that reservations could be increased under extraordinary circumstances and that the government had raised the quota by six percentage points.
Speaking with the media, Parameshwara said, “When Basavaraj Bommai was the Chief Minister, reservation was increased to 56%, with 17% for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 7% for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Constitution says that reservation should be provided in proportion to the population. Emphasising the need to provide opportunities to disadvantaged sections, the Deputy Chief Minister said people denied opportunities should be able to progress in society. Responding to allegations by the BJP on the matter, Parameshwara said the government could not influence judicial decisions. Earlier, Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah termed the Karnataka High Court’s judgment striking down the law to enhance reservation for SC/ST communities a “serious setback” to the aspirations of historically marginalised communities.
“We respect the judiciary. However, the judgment raises fundamental questions about the BJP’s handling of social justice. In a press statement issued on Monday, Siddaramaiah questioned the BJP government’s handling of the issue, alleging that the increased reservation quotas–from 15 per cent to 17 per cent for SCs and from 3 per cent to 7 per cent for STs–were implemented ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections despite the administration being aware that the total reservation would exceed the 50 per cent ceiling. The BJP government increased SC reservation from 15% to 17% and ST reservation from 3% to 7% ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, despite knowing that total reservation would exceed the 50% ceiling,” Siddaramaiah said.
