Telangana Reserves 42% of Local Body Seats for Backward Classes
The Telangana government has issued an order reserving 42% of seats and positions in rural and urban local bodies for Backward Classes (BCs). This significant policy decision follows recommendations from a dedicated commission and is based on findings from the state's recent Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey. The government stated the move is necessary to address the inadequate political representation of BCs, who constitute over 56% of the state's population, and aims to ensure social justice.
Unpacked:
The reservation exceeds the Supreme Court’s 50% cap set by the Indra Sawhney judgment (1992), so it may face judicial scrutiny. Telangana seeks to protect the law by placing it in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, but even this does not guarantee immunity if the law violates the Constitution’s basic structure.
The Ninth Schedule, added through the First Constitutional Amendment (1951), shields certain laws from judicial review, even if they infringe fundamental rights. Telangana wants this protection to prevent courts from striking down the 42% BC reservation, as it exceeds the usual reservation cap.
Both the BRS and BJP have criticized the Congress-led government for delays and previous failures to ensure BC reservations, with political debates focusing on timing, implementation, and the adequacy of representation for Backward Classes.
With the new 42% BC reservation, the total reservation in Telangana’s local bodies now rises to 67%, including existing quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Economically Weaker Sections.