Karnataka governor refers 4% Muslim quota bill for President's assent

BENGALURU: Karnataka governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot Wednesday reserved for President's assent the bill proposing a 4% reservation for Muslims in govt civic contracts valued up to Rs 1 crore, citing potential constitutional hurdles.

Raj Bhavan sources confirmed the governor's decision to send back to the Congress government the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by the legislature last month. The Raj Bhavan's move followed a request from BJP, which argued that the Constitution does not allow religion-based quota.

Sources said in a formal communication to Siddaramaiah govt, the governor wrote: "The Constitution of India does not permit reservation based on religion, as it violates the principles of equality (Article 14), non-discrimination (Article 15) and equal opportunity in public employment (Article 16)." The governor cited Supreme Court's consistent view on the matter.

A senior Karnataka govt official said: " Govt has just received the bill sent by Raj Bhavan. The parliamentary affairs ministry will study governor's recommendation and legal provisions related to the issue before deciding on sending the bill to the President."

PM Modi, at a rally in Haryana, slammed Congress over a bill proposing religion-based tender reservations, calling it a "snatch" of SC, ST, and OBC rights.

The row has escalated with the leak of Karnataka's caste census, which pegs the Muslim population at 75.5 lakh (12.6%) and suggests doubling the OBC quota for the community to 8%.

A special cabinet meet on Thursday will now address the caste data, further fueling the reservation debate.