Source: The Hindu, Tags: 25 April 2026
Context: SC quota sub-classification
Karnataka government approved internal sub-classification within the 15% SC quota to ensure equitable distribution among SC groups, based on commission recommendations.
What Karnataka has done
- 15% SC quota split as:
- Category 1 (Madiga & allied): 5.25%
- Category 2 (Holeya & allied): 5.25%
- Category 3 (Others incl. Bhovi, Lambani etc.): 4.5%
- Based on Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission
- Objective: Address intra-SC inequalities
Supreme Court Position on Sub-classification
- E.V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh (2004)
→ SCs treated as a homogeneous class; sub-classification not allowed - State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh & Others (2020)
→ Questioned Chinnaiah; held sub-classification may be permissible
→ Referred to a larger Bench - State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (Constitution Bench, 2024)
→ Upheld that States can sub-classify SCs
→ Valid to achieve substantive equality
