Resolve SC case on Muslim quota soon, Panchamasalis tell CM Siddaramaiah

At present, the Panchamasalis come under OBC Category-3B with a 5 per cent reservation. They want to be moved to Category-2A, which has 15 per cent reservation.

Bengaluru: A large delegation of Panchamasali Lingayats on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to bring their community under Category-2A by taking "immediate steps" to sort out a pending Supreme Court case concerning Muslim reservation.

At present, the Panchamasalis -- they claim to be the largest sub-caste of the Lingayats -- come under OBC Category-3B with a 5 per cent reservation. They want to be moved to Category-2A, which has 15 per cent reservation.

The previous BJP government had decided to scrap 4 per cent reservation for Muslims under Category-2B. Then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai argued that the Constitution did not allow religion-based reservation.

Vokkaligas from Category-3A and Lingayats from Category-3B were moved to a new Category 2C and 2D, respectively. Categories-3A and 3B were scrapped.

The 4 per cent Muslim reservation was divided equally between Vokkaligas and Lingayats (two percentage points each). This increased Vokkaliga reservation to 6 per cent and Lingayats to 7 per cent, up from 4 per cent and 5 per cent*, respectively.

When this decision was challenged before the Supreme Court, the state government said it would maintain status quo. The case is still pending for adjudication.

The Panchamasali Lingayat delegation led by lawmakers BR Patil and Vijayanand Kashappanavar, in a petition to Siddaramaiah, urged the government to get the Supreme Court case cleared. The 200-strong delegation also asked Siddaramaiah to obtain a report from the backward classes commission and move the Panchamasali community to Category-2A.

"The Panchamasalis are the first followers of the Lingayat religion founded by Basavanna," the petition submitted by the Akhila Bharata Lingayata Panchamasali Samaja Trust stated.

Chaired by Kashappanavar, the Trust stated said the community was largely agrarian and rural. "The community is backward. Youngsters of the community remain socially and educationally backward."

The petition further urged Siddaramaiah to recommend to the Union government the inclusion of all Lingayat sub-groups in the Central OBC list.

The Trust also sought financial assistance of Rs 5 crore to build a student hostel at the premises of Kudalasangama Mutt in Hungund.