Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Backs Internal Reservation for SCs

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his support for internal reservation within the Scheduled Caste community, following a landmark Supreme Court verdict. He plans to consult legal experts before taking a final decision. A delegation of Congress legislators and leaders discussed the implementation of this reservation with the chief minister.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday expressed his support for internal reservation within the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. This comes in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court verdict allowing states to make sub-classifications within SCs for reservation purposes.

A delegation led by Ministers K H Muniyappa, R B Timmapur, former minister H Anjaneya, and former Rajya Sabha member L Hanumanthaiah met with Siddaramaiah to discuss the implementation of this internal reservation. The Chief Minister indicated that he would seek comprehensive legal advice before making a final decision.

The Supreme Court, on August 1, ruled that states have the constitutional authority to create sub-categories within SCs to uplift castes that are more socially and educationally backward. This ruling overturned a 2004 verdict which had declared that SCs are a homogeneous class and cannot be further subdivided for reservation purposes.

(With inputs from agencies.)