Bengaluru: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday that the state will write to the Prime Minister seeking inclusion of its decision to raise reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, and that the issue will be discussed with him if a meeting becomes possible.
Speaking to the media at Vikasa Soudha after chairing the State SC and ST Development Council meeting on the 2026-27 action plan for the SCSP/TSP programmes, Shivakumar said the Cabinet has decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict on the reservation hike and internal reservation, and that the state’s petition has been accepted. Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Ministers K.H. Muniyappa and Satish Jarkiholi have been given charge of monitoring the case.
“There is no point in blaming those who were there earlier,” he said, adding that Tamil Nadu has 69 per cent reservation and Karnataka is asking for an extension of only 6 per cent beyond the 50 per cent limit. He said the internal reservation issue has already been resolved, and that he will form a vision group to decide what new programmes should be framed for the welfare of the communities.
The government has also decided to get a social audit done by reputed institutions to assess the impact of the grants given through SCSP/TSP over the years. Shivakumar said ₹42,503 crore was allocated through SCSP/TSP in 2025-26 and ₹44,631 crore this year, spread over 451 schemes of 34 departments. A team of SC and ST MLAs and ministers led by Parameshwara will hold two days of discussions with the Finance Department and submit a report on whether changes are possible.
On backlog vacancies, he said 19,115 posts were vacant between 2001 and 2025, of which 17,793 have been filled and 1,574 remain, and that action will be taken to fill them. The government has also decided to hold a unity convention of SC and ST communities, with the venue to be decided by the leaders.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office note, the state has also written to the Centre seeking release of ₹1,937 crore that the Centre has withheld, and has directed that the state’s share be released even if the Centre’s share is not. A team of ministers has been formed to review the allocation of grants.
Related:
- D.K. Shivakumar Chairs SCSP–TSP Development Council Meeting at Vikasa Soudha
- Karnataka Moves Supreme Court Against High Court Order Striking Down SC, ST Reservation Hike
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