Six MPs urge Centre to include reservation Act of Karnataka in Ninth Schedule

Six MPs urge the Union Government to expedite the inclusion of Karnataka's reservation Act in the Ninth Schedule for SC/ST protection.

Six Members of Parliament have urged the Union Government to include the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act 2022 in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard reservation benefits for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the State.

A delegation comprising G. Kumar Naik (Raichur), E. Tukaram (Ballari), Priyanka Satish Jarkiholi (Chikkodi), Rajashekhar Hitnal (Koppal), Prabha Mallikarjun (Davanagere), and Sunil Bose (Chamarajanagar) met Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar on March 11 to submit a memorandum seeking urgent action on the issue.

In the memorandum dated March 10, the MPs expressed concern that the proposal sent by the government of Karnataka to include the Act in the Ninth Schedule has been pending with the Union Government for more than three years.

The MPs said that inclusion of the legislation in the Ninth Schedule under Articles 31(B) and 31(C) of the Constitution is necessary to protect the reservation policy from legal challenges, and ensure effective implementation of enhanced reservation for SCs and STs communities in Karnataka.

They informed that the Act was enacted to advance the constitutional objectives under Articles 15, 16, 38, 39 and 46, which mandate the State to promote social justice, reduce inequalities and safeguard the educational and economic interests of weaker sections.

The memorandum recalled that the State Government forwarded the proposal to the Union Government in March 2023 for inclusion of the Act in the Ninth Schedule. However, the matter is yet to be taken up for consideration.