The Supreme Court in India questioned the Karnataka government’s decision to remove the 4% reservation for Muslims, calling it fallacious and based on preliminary reports rather than final ones. The government responded that no appointments or admissions would be made until the matter is heard again on April 18. The move to remove the reservation was made two days before the State Legislative Assembly elections were announced.

The Supreme Court of India has questioned the decision of the Karnataka government to scrap the 4% quota for Muslims in the state. Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna questioned the use of an interim report instead of the final report to come to the decision. The Court has sought a fresh petition assailing the move and has recorded the assurance of the Karnataka government that no appointments or admissions will be made pursuant to the government order until the next hearing on Tuesday. The government has justified the decision by stating that the community will be eligible for reservation under the 10% Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category. The Muslim community has argued that the scrapping of the quota is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution, and senior advocates have pointed out that the move has been made without empirical data and comes at a time when institutes in the State were taking admissions. The Court has granted time for SG Mehta and Mr Rohatgi to file a counter affidavit until April 17, 2023, and has granted a stay on any appointments or admissions until the next hearing on April 18.