State Mulls SC Plea Against Centre’s Inaction On BC Quota
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was scheduled to convene a crucial meeting early next week.
Hyderabad, June 27: The government is contemplating approaching the Supreme Court over the Centre's inaction to approve the Bill passed by the Assembly in March, which seeks to extend 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) communities in local bodies.
Official sources said that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was scheduled to convene a crucial meeting early next week, likely on Monday or Tuesday, with Advocate-General A. Sudarshan Reddy and panchayat raj officials to deliberate on the legal options and take a final decision.
The development comes in the wake of a Telangana High Court ruling that set a deadline for the state government to finalise the reservation structure and a three-month timeframe for conducting local body elections.
The government plans to conduct elections for gram panchayats, mandal parishads and zilla parishads in the initial phase, followed by municipal elections.
Revanth Reddy is reportedly exploring multiple legal avenues to ensure the implementation of the quota.
One option under serious consideration is to move the Supreme Court on the grounds that the state has followed due process, basing its quota expansion on comprehensive and scientific data collected from every household.
Another alternative is to seek an extension from the High Court, citing practical challenges in completing the reservation exercise within a month. The government is also weighing the possibility of urging the Centre once again to clear the Bill during the monsoon session of Parliament scheduled from July 21 to August 12.
The state government is reportedly exploring whether to file a review petition in the High Court or directly challenge the court’s June 25 order in the Supreme Court, which imposes strict deadlines despite the bill pending at the Centre. Official sources indicated that a definitive course of action is expected to emerge following the Chief Minister's meeting next week.
