Karnataka forms panel to look into quota demand

The state had recently seen agitations from several communities demanding reservation.

hindusThe Karnataka government on Wednesday formed a panel to look into the demands made by various communities of the state to re-evaluate the existing reservation system. The high-level committee will be headed by retired high court judge Subhash Adi and consists of retired chief secretary Ratna Prabha and Maharani College’s assistant professor BV Vasanth Kumar. The panel will look into the constitutional and legal aspects of the demands raised by various communities.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa with PWD Minister Govind Karjol addresses the media at Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru in this file picture. (PTI Photo)

“Retired high court judge Subhash Adi will head a high-level committee to examine the constitutional and legal framework of various demands on reservation as requested by the cabinet along with retired chief secretary Ratna Prabha and Mysuru’s Maharani College’s assistant professor BV Vasanth Kumar,” Karnataka chief minister’s office said via a series of tweets. The decision to form the panel was taken on last week.

Karnataka currently provides 15% reservation to Scheduled Castes (SCs), 3% reservation to Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 32% reservation to Other backward classes (OBCs) which adds up to 50%. The state had recently seen agitations from several communities demanding reservation. Last month, the Panchamasali Lingayat community gathered at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru demanding the community’s inclusion under the Category 2A in the state quota. Demands for reservation have also come from the Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. Last month, the chief minister himself faced criticism from his partymen for not responding to the demands.

Karnataka law minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that the retired judge will look into the legal and constitutional aspects while the retired administrator will focus on the administrative aspect. Bommai said that a social scientist has been added to the committee to prepare a comprehensive report on the issue, according to news agency PTI.