The dates of the Telangana local body elections are October 23 and October 27.
In opposition to a State High Court ruling to halt two government orders that increased the Other Backward Classes’ (OBC) quota in seats in municipalities and panchayats to 42%, the State of Telangana has petitioned the Supreme Court.
The State claimed in its October 13 special leave petition that the petitioner had “executed the reservation based on the desire of the people.”
The dates of the Telangana local body elections are October 23 and October 27.
Together with the current 15% allocation for Scheduled Castes and 10% reservation for Scheduled Tribes, the 42% increase in OBC would raise the total reservation to 67%, which would be a clear violation of the 50% cap.
By issuing a stay of the government orders that reserved seats for members of the backward classes in the municipal elections, the High Court made a mistake. Reservations above 50% are not specifically subject to an embargo. Telangana contended that the constitutional framework does not set a cap on the allowable percentage of reservation.
The 50% restriction was only a “general guiding concept,” according to the report.
“As a precautionary measure, 50% was established, allowing the reserve to exceed that amount in extraordinary situations,” Telangana said.
on the 1992 Mandal Commission case ruling, a nine-judge Supreme Court bench set the 50% ceiling rule on reservations.
50% will be the norm, but it is important to keep in mind that there are certain unique circumstances that arise because of how diverse this nation and its citizens are. It is possible that people living in remote and isolated places may require special treatment due to their isolation from the rest of the country and their unique circumstances. In such cases, it may be necessary to loosen this stringent regulation, Telangana argued.
Telangana said that it had conducted the “triple test” and that a “comprehensive and scientific effort to assess the quantum of reservation necessary for backward classes in local bodies” was the basis for the 42% OBC quota.
According to a thorough Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment Political and Caste Survey [SEEEPC Survey, 2024–25], backward classes make up roughly 56.33% of Telangana’s total population. This information served as the basis for a 42% reservation for backward classes. The Constitution’s Article 342-A(3) mandated this exercise, Telangana clarified.
Under the chairmanship of Busani Venkateshwara Rao, IAS (Retd.), the State established a One-Man Commission to examine the empirical data. Following a comprehensive analysis, the Commission recommended 42% reservation for Backward Classes in both rural and urban local bodies, and the government adopted the recommendation.
As a result, on March 17 and 18, both Houses of the Legislature overwhelmingly enacted the Telangana Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill, 2025, which among other things calls for a 42% reservation for BCs in both urban and rural local bodies. The Governor, who had set aside the bill for the President’s review on March 30, received it.
Telangana responded to the Home Ministry’s July 22 request for explanations on the Bill. On this day, however, the Bill was neither returned nor approved.