Karnataka High Court Declares Dual Reservation Classification Unconstitutional

The Karnataka High Court ruled that a community cannot be placed under two different reservation categories for education and employment. This decision came from a petition by V Sumitra, who contested the state's classification of the Balajiga/Banajiga community, highlighting its inconsistency and violation of constitutional principles.

The Karnataka High Court has issued a landmark ruling, declaring that a single community cannot be classified under different reservation categories for education and employment. This decision was the result of a petition filed by V Sumitra from Kollegal taluk, challenging the government’s dual classification of the Balajiga/Banajiga community.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj, who delivered the verdict, instructed the state to classify this community uniformly under Group 'B' for both educational and employment reservations. The judge emphasized the discriminatory nature of the state's previous classification, which divided the community into Group 'B' for education and Group 'D' for employment.

The court found this division violated constitutional protections, asserting that affirmative action must apply uniformly. Thus, the court quashed the orders rejecting Sumitra's employment reservation claim under Group 'B' and ordered the continuation of her job as a primary school teacher.