Telangana government moves Supreme Court over BC reservations in local polls
Hyderabad: The Telangana Government approached the Supreme Court, challenging the Telangana High Court’s interim stay on 42 per cent BC (Backward Class) reservations in local body elections. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s administration, therefore, filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) to restore the quota announced under Government Order (GO) 9.
Telangana government defends 42 per cent BC quota
The High Court recently stayed GOs 9, 41, and 42, which amended the 2018 Panchayat Raj Act. These orders raised the BC quota in local bodies to 42 per cent. However, the court said this decision violated the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Vikas Kishanrao Gawali case, which limits total reservations to 50 per cent.
Soon after the stay, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy met cabinet ministers and legal experts. After detailed discussions, he decided to move to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, government lawyers argued that the Constitution does not fix any 50 per cent limit on reservations. They also noted that several states had already crossed that mark in exceptional situations.
Government cites absence of constitutional limit
Advocate General Sudarshan Reddy represented the state in the case. He told the court that the stay disrupted the election process. Moreover, he said the government aimed to ensure fair representation for BCs in local bodies. In addition, the petition cited examples from other states where courts upheld similar quotas.