Dharwad
Members of the Maadiga community, organized under the Parishshta Jati Ola Meesalati Horata Samiti, held a significant demonstration calling for the state government to implement internal reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs). The protest march commenced at Kadapa Maidan and concluded at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister was submitted.
The protesters highlighted a recent ruling from a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which stated that state governments have the authority to provide internal reservations to SCs without needing to amend Section 341 of the Constitution. They noted that the demand for internal reservation has persisted for over three decades.
In their memorandum, the protesters referenced a previous recommendation by the former BJP government, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which proposed a scientific formula for internal reservation based on the Justice Sadashiva Commission’s findings, the 2011 census data, and the recommendation to increase SC reservations to 17 percent by Justice Nagamohandas.
The community urged the current state government to fulfill its promise made during the 2023 assembly elections, where internal reservation was listed as a sixth guarantee. They warned the government against delaying this implementation, particularly citing a new census as a reason. Failure to act on this demand, they asserted, would be viewed as contempt of the Supreme Court, which the community would not tolerate.
