SC agrees to hear plea against scrapping of 4 per cent Muslim quota in Karnataka
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to list for hearing a plea challenging the Karnataka government's decision to scrap the four per cent reservation for Muslims in the state.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal that all the defects of the petition have been removed.
"I mentioned this (petition) in court three yesterday. This is against the four per cent reservation being cancelled," Sibal said.
"But the defects (in the petition) were not cured," the CJI said.
The senior lawyer said all the defects have been cured.
"Alright, we will list it," the bench said.
Recently, the state government led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai decided to scrap the four per cent reservation for Muslims.
The Karnataka government announced two new categories for reservation in jobs and education and scrapped the four per cent quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Muslims.
The four per cent OBC Muslim quota has been divided between the Vokkaligas and Lingayats. Muslims eligible for quota have been categorised under economically weaker sections now.
The state government's decision has pushed the reservation limit to around 57 per cent now.
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Karnataka fast-tracks investment approvals, cuts red tape across key clearances: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Saturday said the state government has fast-tracked approvals for investment projects and taken measures to cut red tape.
He said that since 2022, Karnataka has approved 2,028 projects worth Rs 5.11 lakh crore, which could create 7.16 lakh jobs.
Of these, Rs 69,564 crore has already been realised, generating 1.06 lakh jobs, he added.
“Karnataka fast-tracks approvals, cuts red tape,” the Minister for Large & Medium Industries said.
“Clear results of our government’s push to speed up approval processes are now evident. Not only have investment agreements been secured, but effective implementation is also underway,” he said in a post on X.
He added that simplified and swift approval processes are boosting investor confidence and providing greater impetus to industrial growth across the state.
“Karnataka’s investment-friendly environment is further strengthened by its culture of ease of doing business,” he said.
Noting that Karnataka is fast-tracking approvals and aligning departments and districts for on-ground delivery, the minister said: “We have overhauled 18 key approvals, cutting land use change clearance time from 120 to 45 days, fire NOC from 60 to 21 days, factory plan approvals from 30 to 14 days, and electrical approvals to just 10 days.”
In a competitive landscape, Karnataka is acting decisively to ensure faster decisions, fewer delays, and a truly pro-industry ecosystem, he added.
