While government has accepted report, legal challenges remain

The government’s decision to accept the Justice Bhaktavatsala Commission’s report on providing 33% political reservation for OBCs is the first step towards holding long-delayed BBMP, zilla, and taluk panchayat elections. However, the government must now convince the Supreme Court to approve the decision. The Supreme Court has been strict in cases where empirical evidence did not meet the “triple test” for reservation. The challenge lies in ensuring that the reservation for OBCs does not exceed 50% and that the decision stands up in court. Representatives of the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities have also objected to the government accepting the report.