BC Groups Call for Bandh over Telangana HC Stay on 42% Reservation

 Hyderabad: In protest against the High Court’s stay on 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies, 22 BC organisations have announced a statewide bandh on October 14. The groups, supported by several caste-based organisations, termed the stay order a grave injustice that undermines BCs’ political rights. Leaders criticised the timing of the order, issued after election notifications were released, calling it contrary to Supreme Court precedents.

They noted that thousands of nominations had already been filed when the stay was granted and questioned how the court could intervene mid-process, especially after rejecting similar requests twice earlier. Thirty BC organisations have filed implead petitions in the case. BC Welfare Association national president and BJP MP R. Krishnaiah condemned the stay, saying it was issued without hearing BC representatives and amounted to a denial of justice. He urged all political parties to unite in defence of BC reservation rights.

Activists also highlighted that repeated setbacks for BC reservations in higher courts stemmed from poor representation of BC, SC and ST judges in the judiciary. They demanded reservations in High Court and Supreme Court appointments to ensure inclusivity. Referring to Supreme Court rulings that relaxed the 50 per cent ceiling in certain contexts, the groups questioned why political reservations should still face such a limit. They argued that political representation does not affect “merit” and that the ceiling on BC political reservations is arbitrary and unjustified.

Warning against any dilution of BC quotas in local body polls, they demanded constitutional and legal safeguards to prevent future curbs, stressing that any rollback would lead to unequal political competition.