States » SouthPosted at: Nov 14 2026 3:55PM


Parameshwara seeks Modi's intervention on Karnataka's enhanced reservation law

Bengaluru, Nov 14 (UNI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally intervene and initiate the process of bringing a Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament to include the state's enhanced Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes reservation law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
In a letter to Modi dated November 12, Parameshwara sought urgent constitutional protection for the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 2022, which provides for increasing reservation for Scheduled Castes from 15 to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from three to seven per cent.
The enhanced quotas take the aggregate reservation in Karnataka to 56 per cent.
The appeal comes in the wake of the Karnataka High Court's October 12, 2026 judgment striking down the provisions enhancing reservation, holding that the overall quota of 56 per cent exceeded the prevailing 50 per cent constitutional ceiling.
The court also examined the requirement of consultation with the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under Articles 338(9) and 338A(9).
Stating that the state government respected the judiciary, Parameshwara said Karnataka had pursued the available appellate remedy before the Supreme Court but maintained that an enduring constitutional solution was necessary to protect the aspirations of historically marginalised communities.
He cited the 1994 Constitution (Seventy-sixth Amendment) Act, through which Parliament placed Tamil Nadu's legislation providing 69 per cent reservation in the Ninth Schedule, arguing that Karnataka's request for protection of its 56 per cent quota deserved equally serious consideration.
"If Parliament could act to protect a reservation framework of 69 per cent in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka's considered request for 56 per cent reservation, founded upon the recommendations of a judicial commission, deserves no less constitutional attention," he said.
Parameshwara said the enhanced reservation was based on the recommendations of a commission headed by retired Karnataka High Court judge Justice H N Nagamohan Das, which had examined the issue and recommended increasing the SC quota to 17 per cent and the ST quota to seven per cent.
He pointed out that the reservation percentages for the two communities had remained unchanged since 1958, despite population growth and continuing social and educational disadvantages. The 2011 Census recorded SCs and STs as constituting approximately 17.15 per cent and 6.95 per cent, respectively, of Karnataka's population.
The Deputy Chief Minister said Karnataka had submitted its proposal to the union Government on March 23, 2023, followed by a resolution passed by the state Legislative Assembly on December 18, 2025. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also written to Modi on April 16, 2026, reiterating the demand.
He recalled that the union Government, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on July 25, 2026, had acknowledged receipt of Karnataka's proposal but said inclusion in the Ninth Schedule was not considered appropriate at that stage as the matter was pending before the High Court.
With the High Court having since delivered its judgment, Parameshwara urged the Centre not to allow the request to remain indefinitely pending.
He sought coordinated and time-bound examination of the proposal by the Ministries of Law and Justice, Social Justice and Empowerment, Tribal Affairs and Home Affairs, besides immediate consultations with the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The state government was ready to provide empirical material, undertake further examination and cooperate with the Centre in addressing the procedural and constitutional issues identified by the High Court, he said.
Going beyond Karnataka's case, Parameshwara also called for a wider national consultation on the continuing relevance and application of the 50 per cent reservation ceiling, taking into account changing social realities, the experiences of different states and constitutional principles governing equality and affirmative action.
Describing the issue as one that transcended political differences, he said the objective of social justice must be to ensure that historically disadvantaged communities received meaningful opportunities in education and public employment.
UNI BDN
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