Karnataka High Court, led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K S Hemalekha, dismissed Section 3 of the 2022 Act for exceeding the 50% reservation cap and Section 4 for breaching Articles 14 and 16. The bench held that the aggregate reservation of 56%—up from 50%—was unconstitutional.
The 2022 law had elevated SC reservation from 15% to 17% and ST reservation from 3% to 7%, inflating overall reservations for SC, ST and OBCs in Karnataka. Its passage, endorsed by Governor on January 11, 2023, followed recommendations from the Nagamohan Das Commission and a committee led by former High Court judge Justice Subhash B Adi.
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara condemned the ruling, calling it a serious blow to social justice and urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre to review the 50% ceiling and consider including Karnataka's reservation law in the Ninth Schedule. He vowed to explore all legal options, including a Supreme Court appeal.
The court’s decision comes after petitions filed by Dr Ambedkar Scheduled Castes Federation president Mahendra Kumar Mitra and civil engineering graduates Sagar H R, Prajwal Kumar D and Purushotham Gowda G M, who sought to challenge the law’s constitutionality. The government plans to protect ongoing recruitment processes and educational opportunities under the law while pursuing appellate remedies.