- KR Bharat
- 2025-10-06
What’s happening: Telangana’s 42% BC reservation, legal challenge & “relief”
The Telangana government recently issued GO No. 9, proposing 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body (rural and urban) elections, in addition to the existing quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). To implement this, the government also plans to amend Section 285A of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, which currently enforces a 50 percent ceiling on total reservations in local bodies.
This move was immediately challenged in court. A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court, arguing that the GO is unconstitutional as it pushes the total reservation (SC + ST + BC) beyond the 50 percent cap. The Telangana High Court also intervened—one bench questioned the state for issuing the order without the Governor’s assent and sought a detailed response from the government. Meanwhile, another bench had earlier dismissed a similar challenge as premature.
When reports say the Telangana government got relief, it refers to these preliminary developments—specifically, the High Court’s decision not to stay the GO and to dismiss early petitions. This has provided the government temporary relief and allowed it to continue pursuing its plan for 42 percent BC reservation in local body elections.
