Karnataka High Court: SC/ST Reservation Act 2022 Struck Down

• The Karnataka High Court struck down the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act, 2022, which aimed to increase reservation quotas.
• The Act had proposed to raise reservations for Scheduled Castes from 15% to 17% and for Scheduled Tribes from 3% to 7%.
• The court found that the legislation violated Articles 14 and 15 of the Indian Constitution by pushing the total reservation beyond the 50% ceiling.
• Sections 3 and 4 of the Act, covering reservations in educational institutions, state appointments, and government services, were specifically invalidated.
• The overall reservation for SCs, STs, and other backward classes would have increased from 50% to 56% under the provisions of the struck-down law.

The court's ruling underscores the judiciary's role in maintaining the delicate balance between affirmative action and constitutional limits on reservation policies, particularly concerning reservation in government services Karnataka.

The Karnataka High Court recently delivered a significant ruling, striking down key provisions of 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. This legislation, enacted to enhance reservation quotas, was found to be unconstitutional by a bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K S Hemalekha. The court's decision specifically targeted the increase in reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) from 15 percent to 17 percent and for Scheduled Tribes (STs) from 3 percent to 7 percent.

The judgment, issued in the case of Mahendra Kumar Mitra & others Vs Union of India & others, effectively nullifies the expanded reservation framework that the 2022 Act sought to implement. The court's scrutiny focused on Section 3 of the Act, which pertained to reservations in educational institutions and various appointments or posts within state services. Furthermore, Section 4, which specifically addressed the enhanced reservation in government services in Karnataka, was also invalidated by the High Court. This ruling marks a pivotal moment for reservation policy in the state, reinforcing existing constitutional limitations.

The primary legal ground for the Karnataka High Court's decision was the violation of the established 50 percent reservation ceiling, a principle upheld by various judicial pronouncements. The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act 2022, by increasing the quotas for SCs and STs, pushed the total aggregate reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other backward classes from the existing 50 percent to an expanded 56 percent. This increment was deemed to be in direct contravention of fundamental constitutional provisions.

The bench explicitly stated that Section 3 of the Act, by allowing the total reservation to exceed the 50 percent limit, infringed upon Articles 14 and 15 of the Indian Constitution. Article 14 guarantees equality before the law, while Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth, with provisions for special arrangements for socially and educationally backward classes. The court's ruling underscores the judiciary's role in maintaining the delicate balance between affirmative action and constitutional limits on reservation policies, particularly concerning reservation in government services Karnataka.

This judgment has profound implications for public sector employment and educational admissions in Karnataka, as it re-establishes the 50 percent reservation cap. The case originated from two separate petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the 2022 legislation. One of these petitions was filed by Mahendra Kumar Mitra, who serves as the State President of the Dr Ambedkar Scheduled Castes Federation, highlighting concerns from within the community regarding the implementation of reservation policies.

Another petition was brought forward by Sagar H R, Prajwal Kumar D, and Purushotham Gowda G M. These individuals, all graduates in civil engineering, had applied for assistant posts, and their challenge underscored the direct impact of such reservation changes on job opportunities and career prospects within the state's public sector. The High Court's decision means that the enhanced reservation percentages under the Karnataka SC/ST reservation Act 2022 are no longer valid, necessitating a re-evaluation of current and future recruitment and admission processes based on the pre-existing 50 percent ceiling.

Lawyers advising on public sector employment, educational admissions, or constitutional law in Karnataka must be aware that the enhanced SC/ST reservations under the 2022 Act are now invalid, reinforcing the 50% reservation ceiling and potentially impacting ongoing recruitment or admission processes.

Source: Reporting based on a recent High Court judgment.