High Court of Karnataka
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday posted to April 24 all petitions pertaining to the caste census report after the petitioners expressed apprehension that the acceptance of the report may affect the quota fixation.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind also said that it is for the state government to respond to the apprehensions expressed by the petitioners.
During the hearing of the batch of petitions filed since 2015, a counsel for one of the petitioners said that the census is a central subject. “The caste census conducted was in 2014 under the Backwards Classes Act. Now, the state government is hurriedly implementing a 10 years old caste census,” he said.
Another advocate submitted that while a portion of the report has come out in the media, the state government has not officially published it. The apprehension is that the state cabinet is likely to take up the matter on May 2, 2025.
“In 2023, the state government made a new quota order through which some percentage for some OBCs were increased. When this matter came up before the apex court, the state government gave an undertaking stating that the earlier regime relating to reservation, notification dated March 30, 2002, will continue to hold the field till the next date of hearing,” the advocate said.
It was submitted that any decision on the new report cannot cut into the quota fixation as per 2002 order, which holds the field as per the apex court direction.
The bench responded to this saying that if the state government does something tinkering with the apex court's order, it will be at its peril and that mere acceptance of the report will not override the apex court direction. However, on these issues, the state must respond, the bench said. “We will hear the matters the day after. Let us apply our minds,” the bench orally observed.