Overview
- Telangana’s G.O. Ms. No. 9, issued on September 26, raises Backward Classes reservations in local bodies to 42%, taking total quotas with SC and ST to about 67%.
- A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta allowed petitioner Vanga Gopal Reddy to withdraw his Article 32 plea and seek relief before the Telangana High Court.
- Multiple petitions challenging the order are listed in the High Court on October 8, including fresh pleas arguing the state failed the Supreme Court’s ‘triple test’ and breached the 50% ceiling in Section 285A.
- The State Election Commission has issued the panchayat poll timetable with nominations from October 9 and voting on October 23 and October 27, heightening urgency over the applicable reservation matrix.
- The state has engaged senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Siddharth Dave and says the move is backed by caste survey data, a dedicated BC Commission, and expert analysis, while BC organisations have filed in support and some petitioners seek category-wise allocation within BC groups.