Has Karnataka's Government Accepted Internal Reservation Changes?

Bengaluru, Aug 20 (NationPress) In a significant move, the Karnataka government has officially accepted the report from the Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission, with certain revisions, and has implemented its recommendations concerning the long-standing issue of internal reservation.

Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced this development during a session on Wednesday, stating, "The Government is delighted to inform this House that we have accepted the report from Justice Nagamohan Das with modifications. This decision aims to bring justice to the prolonged struggle for internal reservation."

Furthermore, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah revealed that the government plans to commence recruitment processes immediately following the issuance of the order regarding internal reservation, along with providing a one-time age limit relaxation.

"The Commission recommended classifying Scheduled Castes into categories A, B, C, D, and E. The Cabinet has adjusted this to three categories, with reservations as follows: Category A (Left-Hand castes) – 6 percent, Category B (Right-Hand castes) – 6 percent, and Category C – 5 percent," announced CM Siddaramaiah.

He emphasized, "This restructuring aims to ensure equality and fairness in providing opportunities across education, employment, and other sectors for all 101 Scheduled Castes. The Cabinet has adhered to the principles established by the Supreme Court during this decision-making process."

In addition, CM Siddaramaiah detailed, "Regarding internal reservation for Scheduled Castes, on August 1, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of State of Punjab and Others vs. Devinder Singh: 'The provision grants the State the authority to establish any special provisions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.' This recognizes the broad power of the State to utilize various means to achieve substantive equality, including sub-classification within Scheduled Castes.”

CM Siddaramaiah pointed out, "This clearly affirms that the constitutional authority to sub-classify Scheduled Castes is vested in State governments. It also indicates that internal reservation can be implemented to reinforce the fundamental spirit of equality enshrined in Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution without breaching the principle of equality."

"In this context, our government formed a one-member commission led by Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das on November 12, 2024. The Commission's mandate was to gather empirical data and provide recommendations regarding internal reservation," CM Siddaramaiah stated.

The Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission carried out an extensive study of 101 Scheduled Castes in the State and submitted its report on August 1, 2025. The Commission collected data encompassing 1,05,09,871 individuals from Scheduled Castes, representing 93 percent of the Scheduled Caste population, which the Cabinet thoroughly reviewed.

"In the Cabinet meeting on August 19, 2025, we accepted the recommendations of Justice Nagamohan Das with certain modifications," CM Siddaramaiah stated.

He continued, "Communities identified by the Commission as Left-Hand section will receive 6 percent internal reservation; the Commission had initially grouped castes such as Paraya and Mogera (Right-Hand) with the Left-Hand section. The Cabinet resolved to keep these communities within the Right-Hand group, thus allowing them 6 percent reservation."

CM Siddaramaiah added, "Among the Adi Karnataka, Adi Andhra, and Adi Dravida groups, a population of 4,74,954 will be evenly distributed between Left-Hand and Right-Hand groups."

"Justice Nagamohan Das recommended 4 percent reservation for the Touchable group of castes and 1 percent for 59 castes with a population of 5,22,099, categorized as Sub-Group A. For specific technical reasons, the cabinet decided to merge these two groups, providing a total of 5 percent reservation," the Congress leader reported.

He concluded, "The Government has resolved to establish a Permanent Scheduled Castes Commission to periodically study and review the mobility and status of these castes, submitting reports based on available data."

CM Siddaramaiah also mentioned, "The Congress Government has decided to drop the cases filed against activists advocating for internal reservation. Should any modifications be necessary in the future, they will be based on data from the upcoming national census."