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The Karnataka Government’s decision to appoint a one-man commission to study Scheduled Caste communities’ demand for internal reservation is not part of an attempt to stall the politically difficult decision, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday.
On October 28, the cabinet decided to appoint the commission to study the demand despite the existence of the unpublished report of a caste survey called the Socio-economic and Educational Survey, conducted by the Government. The move has been widely seen as an effort to stall the internal quota demand on the grounds of lack of data.
“The Government has decided to set up the commission to implement internal reservation in an adequate, scientific and non-controversial manner and without any intent of delaying a policy decision or stalling strategy. The Government will take everyone into confidence without any compromise in the matter of social justice,” Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister said the cabinet had agreed in principle to the proposal for internal reservation for Scheduled Castes in the wake of three decades of continuous demands and pressure. “There are 101 sub-castes in the Scheduled Castes and the Government has decided to take all of them into confidence and scientifically implement internal reservation,” he said.
The Government will form a panel under the Commission of Inquiry Act 1952 under the chairmanship of a retired judge of the Karnataka High Court and the panel will be mandated to submit a report within two months, Siddaramaiah said.
“A decision has also been taken not to issue any fresh notification for direct recruitment to the posts in the civil services under the state government and in the categories where reservation is applicable till further notice,” he added.
The chief minister said the Telangana Government had already constituted a commission on the same model for implementing internal reservation and that data is required for the scientific implementation of internal reservation, as directed by the Supreme Court.
In a recent ruling, the apex court said that granting internal reservation is a constitutional measure and that states can implement internal quotas on the basis of empirical data.
“The Government has decided to constitute a commission to determine these figures scientifically. The Government will take necessary steps for the commission to submit its report within the prescribed deadline. Steps will be taken to implement internal reservation as soon as the report of the commission is received,” Siddaramaiah said.
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