The Karnataka High Court on Monday, 12 October struck down the enhanced reservation quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in educational institutions and state government services, nullifying a law that had pushed the state's total reservation ceiling from 50 per cent to 56 per cent. The ruling sets aside changes introduced by the then Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation) Act, 2022.

What the Court Ruled

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha passed the order while adjudicating a Public Interest Litigation filed by Mahendra Kumar Mitra, who had challenged the constitutional validity of the 2022 Act. The court's decision effectively restores SC reservation to 15 per cent and ST reservation to 3 per cent, reversing the increases to 17 per cent and 7 per cent respectively — which had together raised the combined SC/ST share from 18 per cent to 24 per cent.

Origins of the Enhanced Quotas

The upward revision had its roots in the recommendations of the retired Justice Nagamohan Das Committee, which had proposed aligning reservation percentages with the population share of the respective communities. Following an all-party meeting where political parties reportedly agreed to the changes, the then BJP Cabinet cleared the proposal. An ordinance was issued, the Governor gave assent, and a special gazette notification subsequently formalised the enhanced quotas. The revised policy covered 103 sub-castes among Scheduled Castes and 56 sub-groups among Scheduled Tribes, with the stated aim of improving their representation in education and government employment.

Bommai's Response and Call to Action

Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai reacted sharply to the ruling, urging the current Karnataka government to challenge the High Court order in the Supreme Court through a writ petition. He stressed that the enhanced quotas were not an administrative fiat but were backed by the Justice Nagamohan Das Committee report and passed through legislation approved by both Houses of the state legislature. Bommai pointed to Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh — where reservation levels already exceed 50 per cent — as precedents that could support Karnataka's case before the Supreme Court. He warned that if the ruling government did not act, he would independently move the Supreme Court to seek relief.

Wider Context and What Happens Next

The Karnataka ruling reignites a long-running constitutional debate over whether states can breach the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations established by the Supreme Court's landmark Indra Sawhney judgment of 1992. Tamil Nadu's 69 per cent reservation survives under a special Ninth Schedule protection, a route not available to Karnataka without fresh parliamentary action. Critics argue that without a comparable constitutional shield, Karnataka's enhanced quotas were always vulnerable to judicial scrutiny. The current Congress-led state government's response — whether it chooses to defend the 2022 law's intent in the Supreme Court or let the High Court order stand — will have direct consequences for lakhs of SC and ST aspirants in the state's education system and public services.