Telangana High Court Halts OBC Quota in Local Polls Amid Supreme Court Guidelines

The Telangana High Court has imposed an interim stay on a government order that provided 42% reservation for OBCs in local body elections, citing the Supreme Court's 50% reservation ceiling. The court has directed the government to respond within four weeks as the elections stand suspended.

In a significant development, the Telangana High Court has reaffirmed the Supreme Court's 50% ceiling on reservations, halting the state government's move to provide a 42% quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local body elections. This comes after the court issued an interim stay on a government order that breached the established reservation limits.

The Supreme Court's triple test mandates that reservations for OBCs should be determined based on a commission's findings, and the total reservation should not exceed half of the available seats. However, the Telangana government's order increased total reservations to 67%, prompting legal challenges.

The High Court's division bench, led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, has ordered a suspension of the election process until further notice, granting the state four weeks to respond. As political tensions rise, the government is likely to approach the Supreme Court to overturn the stay.