Karnataka's Caste Conundrum: Rampant Certification Misuse For Reservation Benefits Emerges

News18

21-05-2025

Last Updated:
Speaking on the Scheduled Caste survey being conducted by the state government, experts say there is an urgent need for accurate data collection and precise statistics
When Congress president and Rajya Sabha's leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge objected to the inclusion of the Beda Jangama community under the Scheduled Castes (SC) category—warning it could dilute the rights of historically marginalised Dalits—he did more than just raise an alarm. He highlighted a deeper conundrum that Karnataka now faces.
At the heart of the issue lies a technical misinterpretation arising from the misuse of caste certification for reservation benefits.
The problem with identifying communities among the 101 Scheduled Castes for internal reservation (Madiga or Non-Madigas) stems from the lack of a mechanism to verify whether persons claiming to be Beda Jangama truly belong to that community through their ancestors or have misused the system by converting themselves into that category to gain reservation benefits.
It is alleged that a forward, priestly class within the Veerashaiva Lingayats, called the Beda Jangamas, are misusing the name 'Beda" with a slight pronunciation difference in Kannada to obtain caste certificates and SC benefits.
The Beda Jangamas are hunters who lead a nomadic life and follow a non-vegetarian diet. There is another community called the Bedavu Jangamas among the Veerashaiva Lingayats, who are considered the uppermost caste within the group. They belong to a priestly class and, as part of their religious ritual, are seen begging for food. They are not beggars, but perform this act as part of their religious practice, explains Indudhara Honnapura, a political commentator and one of the founding members of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti in Karnataka.
On the issue of the ongoing Scheduled Caste survey being conducted by the state government, he added that there is an urgent need for accurate data collection and precise statistics.
Speaking to News18, senior political analyst D Umapathy traced the origin of the controversy back to the 1961 Census, when the Beda and Budga Jangamas were listed as a nomadic tribe with just 4,651 members. 'In the early 1980s, some Lingayat Jangamas called themselves name of Beda Jangamas, purely to claim reservation benefits," he said.
The 2015 socio-economic and education survey conducted by the Backward Classes Commission showed a dramatic rise in the population of Beda/Budga Jangamas. 'If we apply a standard population growth rate of 9 per cent, the numbers would still be in the thousands—but today they're in lakhs, suggesting an unnatural surge," Umapathy said.
Here is another conundrum—the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission does not have the authority to verify whether someone claiming to be from the Beda Jangama community actually belongs to it. 'The commission cannot decide which man belongs to which caste. That does not fall under their purview. They can only collect statistics; they cannot verify them," said Honnapura.
According to him, the verification of caste claims is not within the commission's domain.
'The caste certificate is issued by the tehsildar, and verification is conducted by the deputy commissioner. Verifying the caste certificate authenticity falls under the DC's authority, not the commission," he explained.
Former chairman of the Backward Classes Commission, Jayaprakash Hegde, said that the Nagamohan Das Commission's officials on the field—who are collecting data through a door-to-door survey—should check if the claims made under this category are genuine.
Jayaprakash Hegde told News18 that simply declaring oneself as Beda Jangama in a survey does not guarantee inclusion in the Scheduled Castes category. 'Some of them have listed their class name as Beda Jangama. But that has to be verified. Even if their name appears in the survey, they must prove they belong to the Beda Jangama community to get the certificate," he said.
He explained that ancestral lineage is key to such claims. 'To get a caste certificate, a candidate's father must also have a Beda Jangama certificate. Without that, it cannot be issued. They may try to get included in the survey list, but that alone is not enough."
Hegde added that the final authority lies with the verification process. 'There is a Caste Verification Committee chaired by the deputy commissioner. They will verify each case. Even if someone claims the identity in the survey, it does not automatically make it to the official list."
The former chairman of the Backward Classes Commission also said that this exercise is not just to find the total numbers in various castes, but for backward elevation.
'Backward elevation is very important to us rather than the number game," Hegde said.
'It can't be corrected—that is the biggest challenge," said Honnapura, pointing to the near impossibility of verification by the commission. 'This is a curious situation—neither can it be corrected, nor can it be verified."
On a question as to the inflated numbers in the caste survey list, Hegde points out that there is a need for transparency.
There was also a controversy in the case where BJP leader MP Renukacharya had admitted that his estranged brother had falsely obtained a Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate in his daughter's name, causing a stir. Renukacharya said his family belongs to the Lingayat community.
'There was a complaint against Renukacharya for having obtained a Beda Jangama certificate. Unless the officers cooperate, that would not have happened," pointed out Jayaprakash.
Kharge's comments in Hospet, during the Siddaramaiah government's second anniversary celebrations, publicly questioned the government's handling of these SC surveys.
'We will support the poor from the Lingayat community. But how did Beda Jangamas, who were just 500 earlier, suddenly grow to 4–5 lakh?" he asked, taking a pointed dig at the caste census exercise.
His concerns echo those of activists who have raised red flags over the misuse of the Beda Jangama name by Veerashaiva Jangamas—a priestly subsect of the Lingayat community traditionally listed as OBC in Karnataka. According to Indudhara, the names may sound similar, but their social realities are vastly different.
Umapathy recalls a case in the Hubballi-Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court, where a person belonging to the Lingayat Jangama community applied for a certificate under the Beda Jangama category. In this case, the investigating officer from the tehsildar's office submitted a report stating that the request could not be processed because the applicant was not actually a Beda Jangama. The matter then went to the High Court, which also ruled in favour of the tehsildar. The petitioner subsequently requested the court to direct the tehsildar to cancel his Lingayat Jangama certificate and issue a Beda Jangama certificate instead, which was outrightly refused.
'There is rampant misuse of caste certificates, and this is an example of it," said Umapathy.
Historical records show that the original Beda Jangamas migrated from Andhra Pradesh and that just eight families had settled in Karnataka after the Reorganisation of States. The Federation of Various Dalit Associations has repeatedly demanded the cancellation of wrongly issued caste certificates and criminal action against those who faked documents. They have also alleged that families of BJP leaders Mahanthesh Kavatagimath and MP Renukacharya obtained Beda Jangama certificates by misusing their influence.
'This is unfair," said Kharge. 'If Beda Jangamas are included among the SCs, it will go against the untouchable Scheduled Castes. Is this being done to take away SC rights, one by one?"
Political analyst Umapathy alleged that this manipulation came from a forward, priestly class within the Lingayats, who are trying to bypass the system. 'This must stop," he said, pointing out how Congress cabinet minister H Muniyappa has also flagged the issue.
Muniyappa, an SC leader who holds the food and civil supplies portfolio, also raised concerns over certain Lingayat groups misusing the Beda Jangama identity to corner SC benefits. 'This can't be brushed aside," he said. 'Genuine SC communities are being hurt by this misuse."
Meanwhile, the Siddaramaiah-led state government has been moving forward with its caste census and internal reservation agenda. On May 5, the chief minister launched a door-to-door enumeration of all 101 SC sub-castes. Around 65,000 teachers will be involved in the process, alongside special camps and online registration.
A panel led by Justice HN Nagamohan Das for the internal reservation is expected to analyse the data and submit its report within two months. The aim is to categorise SCs—just as Congress-ruled Telangana has done—into three internal quota segments, to ensure the most disadvantaged groups get their fair share.
The caste census, which is being done to understand how different sub-castes are spread within the Scheduled Castes (SC), is facing some challenges. Justice HN Nagamohan Das said that in some poor and marginalised households, people are not coming forward to share details about their castes.
He also pointed out that many people are not fully aware of their sub-caste. 'Some who have taken certificates as Adi Karnataka or Adi Dravida don't realise that those are actually their original castes. In other cases, people know their sub-caste but don't see it in the list. And some just don't want to reveal it even though they know," he said.
A door-to-door survey is being conducted, and special booth-level camps will be held between May 26 and May 28. According to the commission, around 19.55 lakh households out of a projected 25.72 lakh SC households in Karnataka have been covered in the survey, and they hope to cover as many households as possible within the timeframe.
Kharge used his platform at the Hospet rally to urge caution, while also claiming that it was Rahul Gandhi's push that had compelled the BJP-led Centre to include a caste column in the national census.
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'When Rahul Gandhi demanded a caste census, he was mocked. Now the union cabinet has agreed. This is due to our fight," Kharge declared, warning the state Congress leadership not to mishandle the process. 'Do it properly. Don't let anyone malign Rahul Gandhi or take credit."
But the data itself is revealing. The 2015–2017 socio-economic survey by the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission listed Beda Jangamas under both Lingayats (50,242) and Scheduled Castes (3.82 lakh). With Dalits forming about 19% of Karnataka's population, these figures are now being questioned.
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tags :
BJP caste congress karnataka reservation
Location :
Bengaluru, India, India
First Published:
May 21, 2025, 21:44 IST
News india Karnataka's Caste Conundrum: Rampant Certification Misuse For Reservation Benefits Emerges