Overview
- The Karnataka High Court, on Monday October 12, 2026, declared Sections 3 and 4 of the 2022 law that raised SC seats from 15% to 17% and ST seats from 3% to 7% unconstitutional because the changes took total quotas to 56%.
- The two-judge division bench said the 50% ceiling is a binding constitutional limit that balances equality and affirmative action and found no ‘extraordinary circumstances’ to justify breaching it.
- The court rejected the state’s arguments based on demographic reports and the 103rd Amendment (the 10% EWS quota), saying population growth does not require proportionate reservation and the EWS carve-out does not erase the 50% cap.
- Judges noted procedural flaws in the law’s passage, including the government’s failure to consult the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, and struck down the provisions that applied to educational seats and state jobs.
- Political leaders said the state will explore legal remedies such as a Supreme Court appeal or seeking a constitutional change, while ongoing recruitments and admissions affected by the overturned quotas are likely to face further litigation and policy decisions.