Karnataka Joins AP, Telangana, Haryana in SC Sub-Classification Push

Karnataka on Thursday formally entered the list of states that have legislated internal reservation within the Scheduled Castes quota , with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot giving assent to the Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-Classification) Bill, 2025 . The move places the state alongside Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Haryana, all of which have operationalised sub-categorisation following last year’s Supreme Court clarity.

Karnataka’s law divides the state’s 17 per cent SC reservation into three internal categories under a 6–6–5 formula :

• 6% for SC (Left) — largely Madiga and allied communities,

• 6% for SC (Right) , and

• 5% for other SC communities .

The policy is aimed at correcting intra-SC disparities , particularly addressing the long-standing grievance of Madiga communities , who argued that benefits within the combined quota were being cornered by relatively better-represented groups. By earmarking a fixed share, the state seeks to ensure more equitable access to government employment and education.

The Congress government in Karnataka has described the legislation as addressing a decades-old imbalance , citing commission findings that several sub-castes had disproportionately low representation in public services despite being part of the 17 per cent reservation pool.

Karnataka’s move follows similar action in Telangana, where the 15 per cent SC quota was internally split into 1 per cent (Group I), 9 per cent (Group II) and 5 per cent (Group III) under the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025 . Andhra Pradesh too converted its April 2025 Ordinance into the Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes (Sub-classification) Act, 2025 , dividing its 15 per cent SC reservation into 1 per cent, 6.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent across three groups.

Haryana implemented a similar framework in late 2024, creating internal categories such as Deprived Scheduled Castes and Other Scheduled Castes , becoming one of the first states to operationalise sub-classification after the Supreme Court’s 7-judge Constitution Bench ruling in State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (1 August 2024). That judgment overruled the 2004 E.V. Chinnaiah precedent and affirmed that states may sub-classify SCs to ensure equitable distribution of benefits.

Punjab’s long-running internal quota dispute was central to that verdict, with its earlier preferential allocation for Balmiki and Mazhabi Sikh communities forming the backdrop to the constitutional clarification.

With Karnataka now on board, at least four states have legislated or implemented SC sub-classification in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling signalling a broader policy shift toward addressing disparities within reserved categories rather than treating them as homogeneous blocs.