In Bengaluru on Thursday, more than 30 Adivasi leaders from 12 districts gathered at the Legislators’ Home to ask the Karnataka government to extend internal reservation to Scheduled Tribes. The meeting was led by BJP MLC Shantaram Siddi, who called out that the Supreme Court’s August 1, 2024 ruling made it clear the reservation system should be split inside Scheduled Tribes as it has been for Scheduled Castes.
After the meeting, the delegation met Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, Law Minister H.K. Patil, and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh. They handed over a memorandum that urged the state to act urgently on the Court’s advice. The note warned that lumping tiny, micro‑tribes and dominant groups together in a single category means many tribal communities miss out on the benefits of reservation.
Dr. Jade Gowda, a professor from the Soliga community, asked the government to set up a commission headed by a retired judge to map out a fair distribution of the ST quota. He emphasized that the Supreme Court warned against “illusionary” reservation when unequal groups are treated as equals.
The delegation’s list of leaders included Dr. Ganesh Bettakuruba, Hasalar Muthappa, Kudiyar Mittu Ranjan, Shivaraj Yerava, Raju Iruliga, Hakkipikki Kamaraj, Tyagaraju, H.V. Chandrashekhar of the Marati Naik community, S.N. Ashok, K.S. Mahesh, Gowdlu Chetan, M.C. Yogish and Vadiraj from Samarasyavedike.
As of October 2025, Karnataka has begun implementing the Supreme Court‑mandated internal reservation for Scheduled Castes, dividing a 17 % quota into three subcategories. The decision follows the Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission report. The new policy has sparked mixed reactions. In September 2025, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched an indefinite protest, claiming the move creates injustice by merging disparate communities.
Banjara and Bhovi groups staged a “Bengaluru Chalo” protest, arguing that the new classification is unscientific and denies justice to nomadic and semi‑nomadic communities.
The Adivasi leaders’ demand for a similar reorganization inside Scheduled Tribes has entered a heated debate over fairness and representation in Karnataka’s reservation system.
Source: ianslive
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