The present upheaval in the Karnataka bureaucracy due to the summary demotion of at least 20,000 SC/ST officials, and a consequent promotion of an equal number of general and backward class employees, is a byproduct of the appeasement politics practiced by parties for decades. The state government had no option but to implement a Supreme Court order quashing the consequential seniority granted to SC/ST employees in promotions, though it tried hard to maintain status quo and not to antagonise the sizeable Dalit vote bank before the Assembly polls.
While reservation in promotion has been in place since 1978, it’s a law passed in 2002 that changed the game for government employees. The Karnataka Determination of Seniority of the Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation (to the posts in the civil services of the state) Act ensured employees promoted by virtue of reservation maintained their seniority over others throughout their service. The law was challenged and the SC last year held its provisions invalid.
It directed the seniority list to be redrawn, which meant those promoted under the reserved category would face demotions and those in general and backward categories awaiting promotions will get their due. To circumvent this, the government first proposed an amendment and then came up with a Bill aimed at protecting the seniority of employees promoted through reservation. Though the state legislature approved a new Bill in 2017 the governor referred it to the president, who sent it back asking the state to use its discretion.
With the Supreme Court still breathing down its neck, the government finally decided to redraw the seniority list in all departments, resulting in demotion/promotion of about 40,000 employees. The episode should serve as a reminder to parties and politicians not to toy with the provisions of the Constitution in their bid to appease communities and serve the interests of vote bank politics.