Telangana High Court Stays 42% BC Reservation Policy: Impact on Local Elections and Political Fallout

Hyderabad:

The Telangana government led by Revanth Reddy has encountered a major administrative and political challenge as the High Court issued an interim stay on the notification process for upcoming local body elections.

This court order directly challenges the government's decision to increase Backward Classes (BC) reservation to 42%, which was a significant election promise made by the Congress party.

The State Election Commission (SEC), which had already announced the schedule for local body polls, is now waiting for the official court order to determine how to proceed with the electoral process that is now effectively suspended.

The High Court has granted the state government a four-week period to submit a comprehensive counter-affidavit defending the reservation increase, while allowing petitioners two weeks to file a rejoinder. The next hearing has been scheduled after six weeks.

Following the High Court's interim stay, BC groups have initiated protests near the court premises, accusing the state government of endangering their quota through a hastily implemented process.

R Krishnaiah, BC leader and president of the National BC Welfare Association, led strong condemnations and warned of widespread protests throughout the state.

"The state government's hasty actions have caused injustice to BCs and hurt the community's self-respect. Some people cannot tolerate seeing BCs in positions of power and have taken away what rightfully belongs to us. We will demonstrate our strength and bring the state to a standstill. Depending on the government's response, we may call for a Telangana Bandh," stated R Krishnaiah.

In response to the crisis, several BC Ministers were seen arriving at Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's residence for an urgent strategy meeting to address the situation following the court's interim order.

Minister Jupally Krishna Rao was among them and emphasized the government's steadfast commitment to the BC community.

"The Congress government remains firmly committed to enhancing reservations for the Backward Classes to 42%. We have taken this historic step towards social justice and political empowerment as part of our core promise, and we are confident in our legal position to implement this quota," affirmed Minister Jupally Krishna Rao.

Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, a longtime advocate for BC rights, expressed profound disappointment with the court's decision, making comparisons with reservations granted to other communities.

"The four-week stay is an injustice to us. This is very painful for me. We allowed 10 per cent quota for forward castes based on economic criterion. Should BCs always remain backward? This quota is vital for the community's upliftment, and we must fight to secure it," he remarked.

The petitions challenging the order argue that the total reservation—combining the 42% BC quota with existing SC (15%) and ST (10%) quotas—exceeds the judicially mandated 50% ceiling on reservations.

The High Court's inquiries focused on whether the government's "application of mind" and the empirical data utilized by the BC Commission were adequate to justify exceeding this ceiling and implementing a uniform 42% reservation across the entire state.

The Revanth Reddy administration now faces immense pressure to develop a robust legal and empirical defense within the four-week deadline to prevent indefinite delays to the local body elections and to fulfill its crucial commitment to the BC community.

BRS leader Harish Rao claimed the Congress government is performing a charade, fully aware that their approach would not withstand legal scrutiny.

"We also introduced a similar Government Order which was struck down by the court. The Congress merely wants to create the impression that they support enhancing BC reservations. That's why ministers visited Delhi when the Supreme Court was hearing the case and came to the High Court here, despite knowing the court would reject it," said BRS leader Dasoju Sravan.

The BJP attributes the court setback to the state government's actions.

State BJP chief Ramchander Rao noted that the government had issued the order even though the bill passed by the legislature remains pending with the governor.