BENGALURU: The state cabinet which meets here on Thursday is under pressure over the issue of internal reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities as 59 nomadic castes are likely to move court if the government does not pay heed to their demand for a separate 1 per cent quota recommended to them by the Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission.
In the last cabinet meeting, the Commission’s recommendation to form five categories among the 101 castes as A, B, C, D and E was revised to three as A, B and C.
Thousands of members of the nomadic SC castes who arrived from across the state held a huge rally at Freedom Park on Wednesday. They objected to putting them in the category C among the less backward SC castes Bhovi, Lambani, Koracha and Korama.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy has reportedly favoured their demand for 1 per cent and assured to get it done.
Meanwhile, former minister H Anjaneya urged the CM to ensure that the court does not stay the internal reservation move at the instance of the nomadic SC castes.
The BJP SC community leaders said the recommendation of the Commission should be implemented in toto.
The CM’s cabinet colleagues KH Muniyappa, RB Thimmapur, Dr G Parameshwara, Priyank Kharge, Dr HC Mahadevappa and Shivaraj Thangadagi, who hail from different SC castes, are likely to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, constitutional expert HV Manjunatha,and advocate, Karnataka High Court, slammed the government’s decision.
“Providing an internal quota in reservation on the basis of inter se backwardness is a step forward towards equality. However, the decision of the government is an act of complete destruction of the concept of internal reservation. Also it’s a clear violation of guidelines set out by the Supreme Court of India on Aug.8, 2024 in the State of Punjab & Others versus Davinder Singh & Others,” said constitutional expert HV Manjunatha, Advocate, Karnataka High Court.
“The cabinet has ignored inter se backwardness as identified by Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission while sub categorising SCs into three groups as A,B and C while slicing the reservation. Thereby, the state has committed a historical blunder”, he alleged.