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Cabinet receives panel report on internal SC reservations
A special Cabinet meeting has been scheduled for August 16 to study the recommendations and take a decision
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has received the Justice HN Nagmohan Das Commission report proposing internal reservation within the Scheduled Caste (SC) quota. The comprehensive 1,766-page report, submitted to chief minister Siddaramaiah on August 4, was formally presented before the Cabinet on Thursday.
A special Cabinet meeting has been scheduled for August 16 to study the recommendations and take a decision.
The commission was constituted in November last year to assess social and educational backwardness within the Scheduled Caste population and suggest equitable sub-reservation under the existing 17% quota allocated to SC communities. The proposal aims to address long-standing demands from various sub-castes within the SC umbrella, particularly groups who feel left out of the current system of reservation.
“The Cabinet has received the report and after studying it, on August 16 (Saturday), a special cabinet meeting will be held to discuss it and take a decision,” said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil. “Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission has submitted the report after a scientific survey in a short period of time. 92% of the community’s population has been covered,” he added.
The internal quota framework suggested in the report reportedly includes 6% for SC (Left), also referred to as the Madiga community, and 5% for SC (Right), which includes Holeyas. A further 4% is proposed for SC communities such as Lambanis, Koramas, Korachas, and Bhovis. Another 1% has been suggested for over 40 nomadic tribes classified as micro communities, while the remaining 1% is earmarked for Adi Karnataka, Adi Dravida, and Adi Andhra communities. These percentages, according to people aware of the matter, are yet to be officially confirmed.
After the Cabinet meeting, Patil refused to discuss the specifics of the report’s recommendations. “Though I have seen reports in the media, I have not compared it with the survey report,” he said.
The recommendations come in the wake of a significant Supreme Court verdict dated August 1 last year, which clarified that states are constitutionally empowered to create sub-classifications within Scheduled Castes for targeted affirmative action. The apex court acknowledged the heterogeneous nature of SC communities and allowed for sub-reservation to uplift those who remain under-represented and socially or educationally disadvantaged.
The formation of the commission was also influenced by increasing discontent among several sub-castes who argue that reservation benefits are disproportionately accrued by a few dominant groups. The SC (Left), in particular, has been vocal in demanding an internal quota to rectify what it describes as years of neglect under the broader SC category.
To develop its recommendations, the commission relied on a scientific survey that covered 92% of the SC population across Karnataka. It took into account indicators such as access to education, public employment, and social status to determine how internal reservation might ensure a fairer distribution of the benefits of affirmative action.
