Karnataka SC/ST medical seat quotas fall as state returns to 15% and 3% reservation

The number of medical seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Karnataka has declined significantly after the state government reverted to the pre-2022 reservation quantum. The change comes amid a legal challenge in the Karnataka High Court against the increased quota.

According to data from the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), the total government medical seats increased from 5,609 in 2025-26 to 6,045 in 2026-27. However, seats reserved for SCs dropped from 953 to 906, while those for STs fell from 392 to 182. In percentage terms, SC reservation has come down from 17% to 15%, and ST reservation from 7% to 3%.

The altered matrix follows the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 2022, which had raised the quotas to 17% and 7% based on the recommendations of the H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission. The increased reservation took the total quota across categories to 56%, breaching the 50% ceiling set by the Supreme Court. With petitions challenging the enhanced quota pending before the high court, the government chose to revert to the earlier percentages from the 2026-27 academic year.

The reduction has implications beyond medical education. Community organisations estimate that in ongoing recruitment drives—one of the largest in the state with about 72,000 vacancies—STs could lose around 2,800 posts and SCs around 1,400. The government has, however, stated that these posts will be kept in abeyance until the court delivers its verdict.

Speaking on the matter, Karnataka Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare T. Raghumurthy said some people have miscalculated the total number of seats against the available government seats. He pointed out that of the 15,495 seats across 75 medical colleges for 2026-27, only 11,775 are allotted through counselling by the KEA. The Minister added that the government is waiting for the high court's ruling and is hopeful of a favourable judgment. "Several other states have given reservation based on the population of SCs and STs. It is a fundamental right," he said.

Mr. Raghumurthy also said the state government has written to the Centre to include the enhanced reservation in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, which would provide it constitutional protection. He attributed the delay in this process to the BJP at the Centre.

Community leaders, however, have expressed disappointment over the reduction. Devaraj T. Katur, president of Karnataka Rajya Nayakara Yuva Sene, which has been protesting against the rollback, called it an injustice to students from SC/ST communities. "The state government, instead of blaming the BJP, should fight to retain the increased reservation. The 50% cap has been breached in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. Karnataka should also implement reservation for SC/ST according to their population," he said.

The legal battle is being led by former Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes chairperson Ravi Varma Kumar, along with community leaders, the Minister noted.

For now, SC/ST students seeking medical admissions in Karnataka face a reduced number of reserved seats, and the final outcome rests with the high court. Until a ruling is delivered, the government has said it will hold the affected recruitment posts in abeyance.