2 min readBengaluruApr 25, 2026 05:22 AM IST
THE CONGRESS government in Karnataka on Friday decided to implement temporary internal quotas for Scheduled Caste communities in the state in the ratio of 5.25% for the SC ‘right’, 5.25% for the SC ‘left’ and 4.50% for others under the existing 15% quota for SC communities even as it awaits legal clarity for a proposed 17% quota.
The decision, which was taken at a special Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, will pave the way for recruitment of government staff, which had been stalled for over a year.
Announcing the decision, which he described as “historic”, Siddaramaiah said, “The Cabinet has decided to give 5.25 % reservation to the ‘left’ castes, 5.25 % to the ‘right’ castes, including Bovi, Lambani, Koracha, Korama and 59 nomadic castes, and 4.5% reservation for other communities.”
The CM said that while the originally proposed internal quota system was in the ratio of 6:6:5 within a 17% reservation umbrella for Dalits, which has been stayed by the courts, the remainder of the current ratios (5.25:5.25:4.50) would be “considered as a backlog until the High Court takes a final decision”.
“This is a significant decision in the country regarding internal reservation among SCs,” he said.
The move to provide internal quotas for Dalits is a result of the demands of the most backward groups among the SC communities (SC ‘left’) for better opportunities since the blanket 15% quota was being availed by the more dominant sections of the community like the SC ‘right’ and others.
