Karnataka govt hints at moving Supreme Court on Muslim quota bill

Bengaluru, April 17 (IANS) The Congress-led government in Karnataka on Thursday hinted at moving the Supreme Court after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot sent the Muslim Quota Bill to the President, seeking her assent.

The Governor has reserved the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in government civic contracts, for the President's assent, citing potential constitutional hurdles.

Commenting on the development, Chief Minister Siddramaiah's Legal Advisor and MLA A. S. Ponnanna said, "This is not in respect of one bill, the honourable Governor of Karnataka has been acting very similarly to the Governor of Tamil Nadu and the Governors of Kerala and West Bengal."

Ponnanna further stated, "Wherever there is a non-BJP government, the BJP is working through the Governor's office. This is a very bad precedent, and even after the judgement of the Supreme Court in the state of Tamil Nadu's case, our Governor's behaviour in this manner is unacceptable."

"We are being constrained to move to the Supreme Court," Ponnanna stated.

Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said, "The Supreme Court has set a deadline; even the President of India should decide in three months. We will wait and see."

Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad said, "This is a political conspiracy. The Governor works like an agent of the BJP. Under the Constitution, the 4 per cent reservation given to the backward classes is not given based on religion. The Backward Classes Commission has made Category 2A and included Muslims in this category."

Earlier, the Governor wrote to the state government that the Constitution of India does not allow reservation based on religion, as it violates the principles of equality under Article 14, non-discrimination under Article 15 and equal opportunity in public employment under Article 16.

The Governor has also maintained in his letter that the Supreme Court also has a similar stand on the matter.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress government in Karnataka of granting reservations in tenders based on religion, alleging that the move "snatched" the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Prime Minister Modi further contended that such provisions were not only unconstitutional but also a betrayal of the ideals of B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution.

--IANS

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