BENGALURU – The Karnataka Cabinet has officially gotten the Justice HN Nagmohan Das Commission report. This 1,766-page document suggests that the current 17% reservation quota for Scheduled Castes (SC) should be split into two groups. On August 4, the report was given to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. On Thursday, August 7, it was officially given to the Cabinet.
The panel was set up in November of last year to deal with long-standing requests from different SC sub-castes who believe that only a few powerful groups have benefited too much from reservation. Its job was to look at how socially and educationally behind the SC community was and come up with a better sub-reservation system. The study, which is based on a “scientific survey” of 92% of the SC population in the state, is now being looked at and spoken about a lot.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said that a special Cabinet meeting has been set on August 16 to look over the suggestions and make a final choice. Patil wouldn’t say for sure what the report said, but media reports that talked to people who knew about it said that the following internal quota framework was being used:
6% for the SC (Left), which is often called the Madiga community.
5% for the SC (Right), which has Holeyas in it.
4% for groups like the Lambanis, Koramas, Korachas, and Bhovis.
1% for more than 40 nomadic tribes that are considered micro-communities.
1% for the communities of Adi Karnataka, Adi Dravida, and Adi Andhra.
The commission’s suggestions are based on a big Supreme Court decision from August 1, 2024, that said states have the right to make sub-classifications inside the Scheduled Castes. The highest court’s decision recognized that SC communities are not all the same and that sub-reservation is a legal way to help the most disadvantaged populations.
For years, the subject of internal reservation has been a hot topic in Karnataka. Groups like the SC (Left) have been protesting for over 30 years, calling for a fairer allocation of quota benefits. The submission of the report is a big step forward, but putting it into action is likely to be politically difficult. Some groups in the “Right” sect, such as the Lambani and Bhovi, are said to have spoken out against their categorization and possible lower quota. The government is also concerned about the data’s accuracy and the potential for duplicate claims.
It is believed that the special Cabinet meeting on August 16 will make the final decision on the issue. After that, the report could be sent to the State Legislature for approval.