Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation, Food & Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday said that the state’s recently completed caste survey is legally robust and can withstand judicial scrutiny, enabling the Congress government to go beyond the 50% cap on reservations.
He was addressing a gathering ahead of the formal presentation on the “Telangana Socio-Economic Survey – Model and Methodology” by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka at Indira Bhawan, New Delhi. The event was held in the presence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud, and other senior leaders of the Congress party.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government in Telangana, formed in December 2023, fulfilled its promise within three months by initiating a socio-economic, employment, and political caste survey. “As committed by Rahul Gandhi Ji in our campaign and in our manifesto, we ordered the caste census in February 2024. This was not limited to OBCs but covered all castes and sub-castes, examining their economic, educational and political status in detail,” he said.
He pointed out that while the national Census carried out every 10 years includes Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, it does not enumerate Other Backward Classes (OBCs). “To realise the Congress party’s core principles of social justice and inclusive growth, and the vision of our leader Rahul Gandhi Ji, we felt a legally sustainable documentation was essential – and we now have one,” he said.
Describing the scale of the exercise, Uttam said approximately 94,000 government employees – including teachers, agriculture officers, and Anganwadi workers – were deployed as enumerators, each responsible for surveying about ten households. Each enumerator reported to a supervisor from a higher government rank. “For 50 days, the entire state machinery functioned with a focused and structured approach to ensure complete and accurate data collection,” he said.
He stressed that the data collected forms a strong empirical basis to challenge the 50% cap on reservations set by the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney judgment. “That ceiling was justified on the grounds that no comprehensive census data existed for OBCs. But today, we have conducted a thorough, scientific, and data-backed survey which allows us to breach that ceiling legally,” he said.
The minister informed that after data collection, a subcommittee reviewed the findings and submitted its recommendations to the cabinet. These were accepted and two key bills were introduced and passed in the Telangana Legislative Assembly – one relating to political reservations and another to education and employment. “The Governor approved both bills and forwarded them to the President of India. Unfortunately, the matter has been pending at Rashtrapati Bhavan for over four months,” he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Telangana survey has been reviewed and endorsed by an independent expert group led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudarshan Reddy and comprising leading academics, social scientists and activists from India and abroad. “This was a meticulous and inclusive exercise with full resource support from the state government. We wanted to ensure its legal sanctity at every step,” he added.
Giving an example from the local body election system, he said that while SC and ST reservations have always been aligned with their respective population shares, OBCs were restricted to 27% due to the legal cap. “As promised in our manifesto, we have now recommended 42% reservation for OBCs. With the survey data to support it, we believe the courts will now permit this expansion,” he asserted.
Under the leadership of the CM Revanth Reddy ji and Dy CM Mallu Bhatti ji, we did a very comprehensive survey. It will also allow the Congress party to break the 50% ceiling on reservation.
To realise the fundamental principles of the Congress party and the vision of our leader,… pic.twitter.com/IbtuaSfd4w
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 24, 2025
Looking ahead, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government would pursue a two-pronged strategy. “First, we will increase reservations for OBCs. Second, we will adopt a focused development approach. Wherever backwardness is evident, whether in particular caste groups or specific geographical areas, our government will act swiftly and specifically. The goal is balanced, inclusive growth based on credible, caste-wise socio-economic data,” he said.
He reiterated that the Congress government in Telangana was committed to social justice not just in spirit, but through scientific, legal and administrative action. “We have produced a document that honours our principles and is ready to stand up in any court of law,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
