BENGALURU: Former Congress MP and senior party leader V S Ugrappa has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Union Government to include the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and Appointments of Posts in Services under the State) Act, 2023, providing 56% reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs, in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
Ugrappa has also urged the Centre to consider amending Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution to enable reservation beyond the existing 50% ceiling, arguing that the interests of socially and educationally backward communities would otherwise suffer.
In his letter and which also released to the media here on Thursday, Ugrappa said the Karnataka Government, headed by then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, had written to the Union Government on March 23, 2023, seeking inclusion of the legislation in the Ninth Schedule. However, the Centre had neither accepted nor rejected the proposal, which remained pending.
The 2023 legislation increased reservation for SCs from 15% to 17% and for STs from 3% to 7%, while providing 32% reservation for OBCs, taking the total reservation to 56%.
Ugrappa said the legislation remained in force until October 12, 2026, when the Karnataka High Court quashed it while allowing a petition challenging its constitutional validity. Describing the development as a major setback to social justice, he said communities covered by the legislation had lost opportunities in education and public employment.
Referring to the Supreme Court's judgment in the Indra Sawhney case, Ugrappa argued that reservation beyond 50% could be justified on the basis of empirical data establishing inadequate representation. He also cited the 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), contending that the overall reservation framework at the national level had crossed the 50% threshold.
Pointing out that the Karnataka Government had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's October 12 order, he said the legal proceedings alone might not provide an adequate solution to the larger constitutional issue.
"The only remedy is either to include such laws in the Ninth Schedule or to bring an amendment to Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution to provide more than 50% reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs," he said, appealing to the Prime Minister to demonstrate the political will to address the issue.
Ugrappa, who belongs to the Valmiki community, also highlighted the demographic strength of SCs, STs and OBCs in Karnataka and said their inadequate representation in education and employment had been a longstanding concern.
Seeking an appointment with Modi, he said he wanted to lead a delegation of 10 members to explain the issue and press for an appropriate constitutional and legislative solution. He said the meeting could be arranged either in New Delhi or in Karnataka.
Copies of the letter have been marked to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, his Rajya Sabha counterpart and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
