In a move that has angered Leftist Dalit communities, the Karnataka government has asked authorities/departments to start the recruitment process for 56,432 posts with 15% quota for 101 Scheduled Castes, but without internal reservation.
With this, while the state government has announced one of the biggest recruitment drives to fill the posts under pressure from applicants, the hopes of Left Dalit communities to secure internal reservation – a demand of more than three decades – have not been fulfilled.
Limit to 50%
A Government Order (GO), issued by the Ministry of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, accessed by The Hindu, caps the overall quota at 50%, but 2% and 4% posts have been asked to be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, subject to a final court order to increase the reservation beyond 50%.
The Central Government requests the authorities/departments to initiate recruitment notices within the next 30 days to fill up 56,432 posts on the basis of reservation order and 100 point list valid before 28th December 2022. They have been asked to comply with the order dated 20th June 1995 correcting the list and continue the list as on 20/22 from the point of order.
Under each vertical reservation category, the government has asked the authorities to observe March 8, 2023 to provide reservation for ex-servicemen, physically challenged people, rural candidates, women, Kannada medium candidates, third gender candidates and those who have lost their homes in the projects.
By starting the recruitment process without provisions for internal reservation, the government will effectively ignore two new legislations — the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and Appointments or Posts in State-wise Services) Bill, 2022, which increases reservation for SCs from 15% and STs from 3% to 7% from 17% Scheduled Castes (Sub-classification) Bill, 2025, for internal reservation which received the approval of the governor.
The governor gave his assent to the domestic quota bill on Thursday. In a total of 17% reservation for SCs, the Act stipulates 6% each for Dalit Left and Dalit Right and 5% for the “touchable” castes of Bhovi, Lambani, Korama and Koracha along with 59 nomadic communities.
injunction
However, the Karnataka High Court in October 2025 barred the state government from making recruitments based on the August 25, 2025 notification on the revised sub-classification of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. The court issued this interim order to hear a petition filed by the Confederation of Untouchable Nomadic Communities of Karnataka and others from nomadic and semi-nomadic communities in SC.
Interestingly, 17% reservation for SC with internal reservation and 7% for ST is implemented in educational institutions.
Meanwhile, for recruitment notices issued before November 27, 2025, the authorities have been asked to complete the process, but the appointment orders should mandatorily include a condition that the recruitment is subject to the final outcome of the court.
The Karnataka High Court ruled in November 2025 that no further recruitment notices need to be issued under the increased proviso in the 2022 Act.
Ministers’ promise
The OC comes amid claims by two Dalit Left ministers in the cabinet, KH Muniyappa and RB Thimmapura, that the government will not start the recruitment process without an internal reservation. With this promise, the ministers asked the community leaders to refrain from any protest. It was learned that the Dalit Right Ministers were against providing internal reservation under the reduced quota of 15%.
March 11 protest, meeting Rahul
The Internal Reservation Committee for Social Justice has threatened to protest on March 11 if internal reservation is not included in the recruitment. Apart from the Tumakuru-Bengaluru padayatra, she also threatened an indefinite fast outside the offices of government ministers in the districts. He is also scheduled to meet Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
“Whether it is 15% or 17%, internal reservation must be ensured,” said Basavaraj Kowthal, convener of the committee which met in Tumakuru on Saturday to outline plans for the protests.
“The Dalit Left communities voted for the Congress in large numbers this time after the assurance of internal reservation. Though the law was passed to enable it, not providing it when the biggest recruitment drive in decades is going on is a social injustice,” he lamented.
Published – 01 March 2026 06:00 IST
