Karnataka High Court.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has restrained the state from making any appointments based on the August 25, 2025, notification fixing 6:6:5 internal reservation matrix for Scheduled Castes.
“Though the recruitment process could go on, the respondents are restrained from appointing any persons based on the notification,” Justice Suraj Govindaraj said in an interim order.
The court has now posted the matter to November 13 for further consideration while directing the Department of Social Welfare to file a statement of objections, if any, by November 5.
The petition was filed by the Confederation of Untouchable Nomadic Communities of Karnataka and others. They contended the order makes arbitrary sub-classification.
“Such irrational division results in hostile discrimination within Scheduled Castes in Karnataka and violates the equality principle enshrined under Articles 14, 15(4) and 16 of the Constitution of India,” the petitioners stated.
The petitioners contended that the order makes arbitrary sub-classification among SC categories.
The petitioners said the state had revised the roster points and instructed all the departments and authorities to start the recruitment process to the posts in the State Civil Services.
The petitioners claim to be belonging to certain nomadic communities who are most backward. They further claim to be inadequately represented and have been placed below the advanced homogeneous communities, placed at Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ of the order, by inserting a Group C along with the other heterogeneous communities. The petitioners stated that in any stretch the nomadic communities have no homogeneous nexus with the other communities in Group C.
According to the petitioners, the state government has grouped the most backward communities and less backward communities in one group, (Category-C) without any basis despite apparent differences in social backwardness.
“Those who are unequal cannot be treated by identical standards. The state must, therefore, resort to compensatory state action for the purpose of making communities who are factually unequal by way of giving preferential reservation. However, the states’ own formula of internal reservation matrix again makes that those who are advanced will take most benefits of reservation and other measures and therefore, it has no effect and is against the spirit of equality of opportunity. Thus, the state has not followed the rational principle for differentiation,” the petition said.