BC Reservation: The Telangana government faced a major setback in the Supreme Court over the Backward Classes (BC) reservation issue. The apex court ordered that upcoming local body elections be conducted under the existing reservation system. It also dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Telangana government challenging the High Court’s verdict on 42% BC reservations. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued on behalf of the state government.
BC Reservation Case: Back to the High Court?
The Telangana High Court earlier struck down the 42% BC reservation in local body elections. In response, the state government filed an SLP in the Supreme Court, which heard the case on Thursday morning. During the hearing, Abhishek Singhvi highlighted that the High Court stayed GO No. 9, which supported the enhanced reservation quota.
He stated that all political parties in the Telangana Assembly unanimously passed a resolution backing the bill for 42% BC reservations. He explained that the government conducted a statewide survey, collected data, and tabled the bill based on those findings. Singhvi added that the issue arose because the Governor kept the bill pending, even though it was unanimously passed.
Supreme Court’s Ruling:
Singhvi argued that the Supreme Court’s previous ruling considered any bill pending with the Governor or President for more than three months as approved. He stated that the state government met all the Supreme Court’s conditions by forming a dedicated commission and collecting detailed data before framing the bill.
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Senior advocate Gopal, who represented the opposing side, argued that the Supreme Court’s earlier judgment clearly restricts the reservation limit to 50%. He stated that Scheduled and Tribal Areas can have higher reservations, but general regions cannot exceed this limit.
He reminded the bench that courts in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra had rejected similar proposals in the past. After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court dismissed the Telangana government’s petition.
What’s Next for the State?
Following this verdict, state government might consult legal experts and can approach the High Court again to see if there is any leagal options on this BC reservation issue.
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