Latest news with #JusticeNagamohanDasCommission
New Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Activists flag upper castes identifying as Scheduled Castes in Karnataka
BENGALURU: False caste claims are rocking Karnataka's ongoing caste census, with reports that thousands of upper caste individuals are fraudulently identifying as Scheduled Caste (SC) to gain government benefits. More alarming is that enumerators working under the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission have allegedly been instructed not to demand proof or verification of Beda Jangams and Budaga Jangams, and to simply accept the respondent's word as final. This revelation has prompted SC leaders and rights activists to raise red flags. 'Even in recent surveys, numbers show an increase of about 2 lakh entries, which appears suspicious,' said Renuka Prasanna, secretary, Veerashaiva Mahasabha. 'We are urging people to report their actual caste and not make false claims. Just because an enumerator records, it doesn't mean someone automatically becomes SC, there are official processes involved.' The implications of this alleged loophole are far from minor. A delegation of Scheduled Caste leaders, including former MP Dr L Hanumanthaiah and former minister H Anjaneya, met Justice Nagamohan Das to caution him about the misuse. Dr L Hanumanthaiah told TNIE, 'While we demanded there should be no false entries, the commission said there is a problem because some members have approached the High Court, asking why they were asked to show proof of Beda Jangam and Budaga Jangam identity, while others were not asked for certificates as proof. Considering this serious problem, it is good that enumerators demand proof of identity, because the number of Beda Jangams and Budaga Jangams have shot up from less than 60,000 to over 3 lakh, an increase of 400-500 per cent between 2011 and the present.''
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Caste census begins, CM Siddaramaiah firm on internal quota for SCs
BENGALURU: With Justice Nagamohan Das Commission launching a census targeting 101 castes among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday declared that his government is committed to implementing internal reservation for the SCs. 'The commission is expected to submit its report within 60 days of data collection. After this, the government will finalise the reservation pattern. We are committed to implementing internal reservation as soon as the commission submits its report,' Siddaramaiah said. He was addressing a press conference with his cabinet colleagues DyCM DK Shivakumar, Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa, Backward Classes Development Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi and Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa. 'This exercise aims at ensuring equitable distribution of reservation benefits and upholding social justice. We are fulfilling this promise made in the Congress manifesto for 2023 Assembly elections,' Siddaramaiah said. He said the caste census will be conducted in three phases till May 17. Enumerators will visit houses of the SCs and hold special camps. An online self-declaration option has also been provided. The commission will oversee the exercise.
Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Internal reservation in mind, Karnataka launches survey of SC sub-castes
The Karnataka Government has launched a survey of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities to enumerate the sub-castes within each parent group. The exercise is being carried out based on the recommendations of an interim report by the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission which was formed to submit a report on internal reservation for SCs in the state. The survey will be carried out in three phases: the first phase will be from May 5 to 17, during which door-to-door surveys will be done to collect empirical data, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told a news conference on Monday. The second phase will have special camps for those who have not been enumerated in the first phase, and it will be held from May 19 to 21. The government will also open an online mode in the third phase of the survey from May 19 to 23, under which members of SC communities can self-declare their sub-castes and respond to other queries in the survey questionnaire. The handbook on 'Comprehensive Survey of Scheduled Castes – 2025' says that it will collect data on the number of members of an SC family, educational details including reasons for discontinuing studies, employment details, annual income, benefits derived from reservation policy in the education sector, assets owned by the family surveyed, source of drinking water, and nature of dwelling area among others. These details will be compiled under the 101 sub-castes listed in the SC category. 'After getting exact data, we have asked the Commission to submit details in 60 days. Recommendations (on internal reservation) will be made after that,' Siddaramaiah said. Across the state, 65,000 teachers appointed by the deputy commissioners of respective districts will serve as enumerators. The survey was required as the state government did not have exact details on the population of Adi Dravida, Adi Karnataka and Adi Andhra communities, which was crucial to provide internal reservation. The ongoing survey will ensure that members of these communities are enumerated properly under the correct SC sub-categories, he said. The one-man Commission was formed in November last year, following a Supreme Court decision which empowered states to provide internal reservation for SC communities. States such as Telangana and Haryana have announced quotas within the SC category since the decision. After the Commission was set up, the government also decided to withhold issuing a fresh notification for government jobs from the Karnataka Public Service Commission until the issue of internal reservation for SC communities was settled. The SC community, numbering around 1.3 crore in Karnataka, is classified under four heads: SC Left, consisting of the most backward communities; SC Right, who are less backward; communities such as Banjaras and Bhovis; and other minor communities. Towards the end of its tenure, the previous BJP government had in March 2023 announced internal reservation for SC communities which was not implemented. Under the scrapped policy, the SC Left community was given 6 per cent of the 17 per cent reservation quota for SCs, while SC Right got 5.5 per cent, communities such as Banjaras and Bhovis got 4.5 per cent and other SC groups got 1 per cent. The announcement back then was met with violent protests in parts of the state.
