Supreme Court asks Manjunatha to approach Karnataka HC on caste issue

On February 9, 2020, the SC had directed the K'taka government's caste verification committee to examine if then Mulbagal MLA Manjunatha belonged to SC or OBC

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the then-disqualified Mulbagal MLA Kothur G Manjunatha to approach the Karnataka High Court against a caste verification committee's finding declaring him as one belonging to 'Bairagi' caste falling in the Other Backward Classes.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath passed the order after hearing senior advocate Vikas Singh on behalf of the petitioner and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and advocate Sanjay M Nuli for respondents.

On February 9, 2020, the top court had directed the Karnataka government's caste verification committee to examine if then Mulbagal MLA Manjunatha belonged to Scheduled Caste, known as ‘Budaga Jangama’, or he was from the ‘Bairagi’ caste recognised as Other Backward Classes in the state.

The Karnataka HC had on April 25, 2018, disqualified Manjunatha, then independent MLA from SC reserved constituency from Kolar district in 2013, on a charge of furnishing an illegal caste certificate.

Hearing his appeal, the court had then noted the issue involved in the matter was a “complex” one. “The complexity arises from the facts of the occupation, habits, rituals, customs and deities of the two castes. One complexity arises from the fact that the Kolar Gazetteer states that the persons belonging to ‘Budaga Jangama’ caste are also known by names such as ‘Mala Sanyasi’, ‘Bairagi’, etc, in different parts of the state.” the bench had said.