SC orders K'taka Govt to pause on scrapping 4% reservation for Muslims

The Karnataka government has been ordered by the Supreme Court to pause its decision on removing the 4% Muslim quota until May 9.

The Karnataka government's attorney informed the court that no decisions about appointments or admissions would be made before May 9, the date of the subsequent hearing.

The Karnataka government's decision to remove the 4% quota for Muslims in the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category and transfer them to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) group, which has a 10% quota, is being challenged in court. Karnataka goes to polls on May 10.

Responding to the SC's direction, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters in Dharwad that the Supreme Court has postponed the case till May 9 and not issued a stay on eliminating the reservation. 

The Basavaraj Bommai government decided to drop Muslims from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) group in the state's reservation system during the last cabinet meeting before the Karnataka Assembly elections, and an order was issued on March 27.

Instead, the government chose to classify them as belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). In the past, Muslims who belonged to the OBC 2B group were granted a 4% quota for employment and education.

The Chief Minister also denied Congress allegations that his government was against Muslims. "Leaders in Congress are lying. Muslims are divided into 17 sub-castes, which are still categorized as being from the lower classes," he noted.

Despite the fact that the Karnataka government has ended religious-based reservations, Muslims will still counted as part of the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) group, said Bommai.