Students Express Concern Over Lack of SC Sub-quota in OU PhD Admissions
The classification, which divides SC reservations into three groups, came into effect on April 14, 2025, after decades of demands for equitable representation by communities like the Madigas.
Hyderabad: Concerns have been raised that Osmania University’s upcoming Category-2 PhD admissions for 2025 may bypass Telangana’s newly-enforced Scheduled Caste (SC) sub-categorisation policy, potentially denying fair access to students from the most marginalised SC sub-groups.
The classification, which divides SC reservations into three groups, came into effect on April 14, 2025, after decades of demands for equitable representation by communities like the Madigas.
Despite its implementation across other state-run admission processes such as Eapcet and DOST, Osmania University has not confirmed whether it will apply the policy while releasing the final list of PhD admissions.
Students fear that unless sub-categorisation is used, dominant sub-castes will continue to take a disproportionate share of SC seats, while historically excluded groups remain sidelined. “Other admission processes are following sub-categorisation, but Osmania University hasn’t clarified anything yet. This could cost students from marginalised sub-castes their seats again,” said Chiranjeevi, a student who was part of the delegation that met the vice-chancellor.
The group submitted a representation to vice-chancellor Prof. Kumar Molugaram, urging the university to adopt the classification without delay. “If the policy is not applied here, it will undo the very purpose of the reservation reform that came into force this April,” said Parushuram M., another representative from the Madiga Student Federation.
Both student representatives pointed out that past lapses in implementing internal SC classification had led to skewed opportunities in education and employment, which triggered decades of agitation. The current demand, they said, is not new; it is a continuation of that long-standing fight for proportional justice.
In response, the Vice Chancellor is said to have assured the students that fairness would be maintained in the admissions process. Registrar Prof. Naresh Reddy and OSD Prof. Jitender Naik were also present at the meeting, a university representative said.