Bengaluru/IBNS: The Supreme Court Thursday put on hold the Karnataka government's decision to scrap a four per cent quota for the Muslim community in government jobs and education, and divide the same among the two dominant Hindu communities just ahead of state assembly elections.

The apex court said the move appeared to be on "highly shaky ground" and "flawed".

Taking up a batch of petitions against the decision by several Muslim groups and individuals, the court questioned the logic behind the step which was announced on March 24, just weeks before the state assembly elections on May 10.

The petitioners argued that the Karnataka government had violated the constitutional principles of equality and secularism by discriminating against Muslims, who constitute about 13 per cent of the state's population.

They also claimed that the government had not conducted any study or collected empirical data to back its decision.

The Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), defended its decision by saying that it was based on the recommendations of a commission that had examined the socio-economic status of various communities in the state.

The government explained that it had taken into account the historical and cultural factors that make Vokkaligas and Lingayats, who together account for about 40 per cent of the state's population, deserving of higher reservations.

Vokkaligas and Lingayats are politically influential communities that have traditionally supported different parties in Karnataka.

The BJP, which came to power in 2019 after toppling a coalition government of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), has been trying to woo both communities ahead of the elections.

The court, however, expressed doubts over the validity of the commission's report and asked the government to produce more evidence to support its decision.

The court also asked the government to explain how it had arrived at the four per cent figure for Muslims, which was introduced by a previous Congress government in 2013.