Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, 13 October squarely blamed the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for the Karnataka High Court's decision to quash the enhanced reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), arguing the quota hike was rushed through without adequate legal and constitutional safeguards. The court's verdict has reignited a fierce political battle over social justice in Karnataka, with both the Congress and the BJP trading accusations over who failed the state's marginalised communities.

What the High Court Struck Down

The Karnataka High Court quashed an increase in reservation that had raised the SC quota from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and the ST quota from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. The hike had been implemented by the BJP government led by then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. Critics had long flagged that the revised figures pushed total reservation past the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court in the landmark Indra Sawhney case.

Siddaramaiah's Charges Against the BJP

Siddaramaiah said the High Court's ruling had 'dealt a blow to the aspirations of oppressed communities that had been denied equal opportunities for generations.' While expressing respect for the court's judgment, he turned his fire on the BJP, alleging the reservation increase was driven by electoral calculation rather than genuine constitutional commitment.

'Why was the increase implemented in haste without providing adequate constitutional protection? Was electoral gain more important to the BJP than upholding social justice?' Siddaramaiah asked.

He noted that the Justice Nagamohan Das Committee, constituted during a Congress government's tenure, had laid the foundation for the enhanced quota — making it, in his view, a product of decades of community struggle rather than any single party's generosity. He also criticised the BJP-led Union government for refusing Karnataka's request to include the enhanced reservation in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, citing the court case's pendency. He called on the Centre to now clarify what constitutional remedy it proposed to protect the increased quota.

The Demand: Break the 50 Per Cent Ceiling

Siddaramaiah urged the Union government to move beyond the 50 per cent reservation ceiling by providing constitutional protection through the Ninth Schedule, arguing that reservation must be proportional to population. He also called on the Karnataka state government to take immediate legal steps — including seeking a stay on the High Court order — to protect students and job aspirants potentially affected by the ruling.

'Reservation is not charity. It is a constitutional instrument to correct historical injustices and ensure appropriate representation for oppressed sections of society,' he said, reiterating that political democracy remains incomplete without social and economic equality. He underscored the importance of protecting the interests of AHINDA groups — an acronym in Karnataka's political discourse encompassing minorities, backward classes, and Dalits — saying their access to reservation benefits was non-negotiable.

BJP Hits Back: Congress Failed to Defend the Quota in Court

Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra countered sharply, arguing that it was the incumbent Congress government's failure to mount a committed legal defence that had led to the setback. 'It is deeply disappointing that the government's failure to fight committedly for the interests of the Scheduled Communities has resulted in a setback to their right to reservation,' he said in a separate statement.

Vijayendra asserted that the BJP had increased SC reservation by two percentage points and ST reservation by four percentage points with a genuine intent to uplift marginalised communities, and accused the Congress of never having formulated a long-term welfare vision for Scheduled Communities. He warned that if the state government continued to show negligence, the BJP would be 'compelled to take up the struggle on behalf of the Scheduled Communities.'

What Happens Next

With the High Court having quashed the quota hike, the immediate legal question is whether the state government will seek a stay and mount an appeal. The broader constitutional question — whether Parliament can or should include such enhancements in the Ninth Schedule to shield them from judicial review — is likely to resurface as a flashpoint in both Karnataka politics and national debates on reservation policy. This comes amid a wider national conversation about expanding reservations beyond the Indra Sawhney ceiling, a demand that has gained momentum across several states.