Karnataka may send Muslim reservation bill to President for assent
Bengaluru: The govt is considering sending the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to President Droupadi Murmu for assent, after governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot returned it for the second time, insisting it be forwarded to the President.
The bill proposes 4% reservation for Muslims in civil contracts up to Rs 1 crore, besides quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs (Category I and II-A) in govt tenders for goods and services. It was passed by the legislature in March.
Law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil had planned to convene a meeting with senior officials and legal experts on Thursday to decide the next course of action, but that meeting was postponed.
"We will consult our officials and legal team before making a final decision," Patil said.
But senior officials, privy to the developments, said the govt had considered challenging Gehlot's decision in court. However, constitutional experts reportedly advised against legal action, urging the govt to pursue alternative routes instead. The issue is likely to be informally discussed during a key meeting of deputy commissioners and zilla panchayat CEOs, which chief minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to chair on Friday.
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Gehlot had already referred the bill to the President previously following objections from BJP. The principal opposition party argued that providing reservation based on religion violates constitutional provisions and urged the governor to withhold assent.
The govt then re-sent the bill to Raj Bhavan without amendment but included detailed explanations justifying its stance and requesting the governor's approval.
Gehlot, however, remained firm and sent it back again, reiterating that the matter should be placed before the President.
Meanwhile, BJP's state core committee Thursday resolved to step up ongoing agitation against the govt on is-sues of price rise and corruption. The core committee meeting was considered significant as it comes after the expulsion of senior legislators Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, ST Somashekhar and A Shivaram Hebbar. The expulsion of Yatnal especially is seen as a victory for the camp led by state president BY Vijayendra.
The panel also decided to defend party MLC N Ravikumar in the row over controversial remarks against the Kalaburagi DC.
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