Karnataka HC Dismisses PIL Against Bill On Kannadiga Quota

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday has dismissed a public interest litigation challenging a bill introduced by the Karnataka government to reserve 50-75% of private sector jobs for Kannadigas.

The Bench, consisting of Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind, ruled that the petition was premature since the bill has not yet been enacted into law. The Court did not address the merits of the case but rejected the petition on the grounds of timing.

The bill, known as the Karnataka State Government Employment of Local Candidates in Industries Bill, 2024, proposes reserving 50% of managerial and 75% of non-managerial positions in private sector establishments for local candidates.

Following some controversy, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified on July 17 via X (formerly Twitter) that the bill is still in draft form and will be subject to further discussion before being finalized.

The petitioner had sought the bill’s withdrawal until constitutional issues could be resolved and requested an interim order to prevent the bill’s enactment. They argued that the bill is similar to a Haryana law, which was overturned by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in November 2023 due to its impact on local job reservation.

The Court did not delve into these arguments but instead dismissed the petition as premature, stating that the bill has not yet become law and therefore cannot be challenged at this stage.

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