Bill to hike SC/ST quota tabled in K’taka assembly
Law minister JC Madhuswamy introduced the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Education Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services Under the State) Bill, 2022, in the assembly.
The BJP government on Tuesday introduced a Bill in the legislative assembly that will replace the ordinance to hike the reservation for Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (SC/STs) in the state.
Law minister JC Madhuswamy introduced the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Education Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services Under the State) Bill, 2022, in the assembly. This Bill will replace the ordinance with the same title, which had increased reservation for SCs from 15 to 17% and for STs from 3 to 7%, that was promulgated on October 23. This takes the total reservation tally to 56%, above the 50% ceiling fixed by the Supreme Court.
“As the matter was urgent and both Houses of the state legislature were not in the session, the ordinance was promulgated vide notification, dated October 23, to achieve the objective, and all provisions of the ordinance brought into force with effect from November 1. The bill seeks to replace the said ordinance,” the bill said.
The decision to increase SC/ST quota was taken following the recommendation from a commission headed by a retired judge of Karnataka high court justice HN Nagamohan Das.
The opposition parties are “sceptical about the state government’s intention” with the ordinance or now the Bill, as the hike in the reservation “will breach the 50% ceiling fixed by the Supreme Court in the 1992 Indra Sawhney case”. Earlier in the day, before the government introduced the Bill, Leader of opposition Siddaramaiah, petitioned the Speaker Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri for an adjournment motion to discuss the reservation hike issue on priority in the assembly. Siddaramaiah alleged that the government’s move was “politically motivated” and that the government has “no real concern for the oppressed sections”.
He pointed out that the central government, while replying on the reservation issue in the Parliament, has suggested that the reservation cannot be enhanced above 50%.
“We are not against increasing the reservation, we are in support of it, but there has to be a Constitutional amendment and the reservation hike should be included under the Ninth Schedule to safeguard it. Without doing it the ordinance was promulgated, which is not valid and maintainable. So, it needs to be discussed,” Siddaramaiah said. Law minister JC Madhuswamy, who tabled the bill, objected to a separate discussion on reservation hike, as “the issues will be discussed during the passage of the Bill”.
But chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that “the government is looking forward to a discussion on the matter”. After Bommai agreed for discussion on the subject under a different rule instead of adjournment motion, the Speaker said, he would allow a separate discussion on Siddaramaiah’s motion.
(With inputs from agencies)