Telangana HC Directs Survey Deadline for BC Reservations

The Telangana High Court has asked the state government to report by August 27 on the time required for a survey to recommend reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) and other categories in local body elections. Petitioners argue that a dedicated commission, not the BC Finance Corporation, should conduct the survey.

The Telangana High Court has mandated the state government to inform it by August 27 of the timeframe required to conduct a survey aimed at recommending reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) and other categories in local body elections.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas deliberated on several petitions advocating for the implementation of reservations for various BC categories in local body elections, including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

The bench cited a prior Supreme Court directive which states that an exclusive commission should be established to conduct a “contemporaneous empirical survey” gathering data on various BC categories before setting aside reservations.

Petitioners have contested the authority of the BC Finance Corporation to gather empirical data on BCs, asserting the necessity for a dedicated commission to undertake this task.

In 2021, the Telangana government appointed the existing BC Commission as the “Dedicated Commission” with the authority to perform the empirical survey, officials from the BC Commission indicated.

Petitioners insisted that the election notification for local bodies should only be released post-survey completion. This directive from the high court follows a petition led by BRS leader Sravan Dasoju. The petitioners have requested the Telangana government, along with the state election commission and other respondents, to immediately commence the identification of 'Politically Backward Class of Citizens' in line with a Supreme Court judgment.

The High Court has scheduled further hearings for August 27.