Karnataka HC bars govt. from civil services appointments based on revised SC sub-classification

The High Court of Karnataka has restrained the State government from making appointments to the State civil services based on the August 25, 2025, notification of revised sub-classification of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities into three groups and distribution of percentage of reservation.

However, the court said the process of recruitment to various posts could go on but appointment cannot be made based on such process.

Interim order

Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the interim order on a petition filed by Confederation of Untouchable Nomadic Communities of Karnataka, Bengaluru, and others belonging to nomadic and semi-nomadic castes under SC communities.

While terming the sub-categorisation of SC communities by the State government as “unscientific, irrational and without adequate determining principles”, the petitioners said that the government divided various SC communities into three groups as against five groups recommended by a retired High Court judge-headed commission, which had surveyed SC communities earlier this year.

“The State government came up with its own formula without adhering to the recommendations of the commission. The nomadic communities to which petitioners belong to are placed at Group-C with 5% reservation, below the Group-A and Group-B in which advanced homogeneous communities, to whom reservation of 6% each has been provided in the August 25, 2025 notification,” the petitioners contended.

They also pointed out that sub-classification of SC by the State government amounts to grouping most backward communities with the less backward communities among SCs.

‘Defeated objective’

Irrational sub-classification of SC communities by the State government has defeated the very object of sub-classification, which was meant to give preferential treatment to the most downtrodden of class among the SCs, the petitioners have complained while pointing out that no basis is forthcoming for 101 SC communities into three groups and distributing total 17% reservation to these groups.

The petitioners have sought a direction from the court to quash the August 25, 2025 notification while terming it contrary to various judgments of the apex court.