Muslim institutions left out of Karnataka’s relaxed minority quota rules

In a recent policy move, the Karnataka government has permitted Muslim-run schools and colleges to enroll a fixed percentage of students from their community to qualify for the 'religious minority institution' tag.

A government order clarified that this exemption applies only to Muslim institutions.

Meanwhile, educational institutions managed by other minority communities, such as Christians, Jains, and Parsis, no longer need to meet any fixed quota of students from their respective communities to be recognized as religious minority institutions.

Previously, schools had to admit at least 25% of students from the corresponding minority religion, while institutions offering higher, technical, or skill-based education were required to meet a 50% benchmark.

These criteria were scrapped in March 2024 as many institutions found it challenging to meet the quota due to low enrollment from minority communities.

The revision followed a request made in December 2023 by MLC Naseer Ahmed, political secretary to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who highlighted that religious minorities other than Muslims were struggling to meet the admission norms.

Initially, the March 2024 order eased the criteria for all minority groups, including Muslims.

Referencing the 2011 Census, the government noted that 16.28% of Karnataka’s population—approximately 96.01 lakh people—belonged to religious minority communities.

This included 78.94 lakh Muslims, 11.43 lakh Christians, 4.4 lakh Jains, 95,000 Buddhists, 28,000 Sikhs, and 1,100 Parsis.

The order stated, "Because the population of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis is low, finding the required percentage of students for the declaration of religious minority educational institutions is difficult."

However, Muslim minority institutions objected to being included in the relaxed rules.

Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan brought the issue to the Cabinet’s attention in November, conveying concerns that such a relaxation might result in a higher proportion of non-Muslim students, thereby diluting the community’s representation in these institutions.

In response, the government amended the March 2024 order to exclude Muslim institutions from the relaxed norms.

As a result, Muslim-run educational institutions must still comply with the earlier quota requirements to be designated as religious minority institutions, effectively creating a separate policy framework for them.