BENGALURU: In a major development, the Karnataka High Court has restrained the state government from making appointments to the state civil services based on a notification dated August 25, 2025 introducing internal reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and sub-classifying the communities into three different groups.
Passing an interim order on a petition filed by the Confederation of Untouchable Nomadic Communities of Karnataka and others belonging to nomadic and semi-nomadic castes under SCs, Justice Suraj Govindaraj clarified that the recruitment process can go on, but appointments cannot be made based on such a process.
Granting time till November 5 to the state to file objections, the court adjourned the hearing to November 13.
Praying the court to quash the notification, saying it is contrary to various judgments of the apex court, the petitioners stated that the government divided various SC communities into three groups A, B and C and distributed the 17% reservation.
But the commission headed by retired high court judge Justice Nagamohan Das had recommended five groups after surveying the communities in early 2025. The sub-categorisation by the state government is unscientific, irrational and without adequate determining principles, their petition stated.
‘Government evolved own formula without adhering to panel recommendations’
The petitioners alleged that the state government came up with its own formula without adhering to the recommendations of the commission. The nomadic communities that the petitioners belong to are placed in Group-C with 5% reservation, below Groups A and B, which have been given 6% reservation.
They contended that the sub-classification by the state government amounts to grouping most backward communities with the less backward among SCs.
This irrational sub-classification defeats the very object of sub-classification, which was meant to give preferential treatment to the most downtrodden among SCs. There is no basis for sub-classifying 101 SC communities into three groups and distributing 17% reservation among them, the petitioners alleged.
