In a major setback to the Telangana government, the Supreme Court on Thursday, October 16, dismissed its petition seeking the vacation of the Telangana High Court’s stay on 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections. The state had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the High Court’s interim order on Government Order (GO) No. 9. The High Court had previously allowed the state to conduct elections based on the old reservation pattern and adjourned the next hearing for six weeks, citing the need for further examination of the state’s revised quota policy.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta heard the matter and directed the Telangana government to pursue its case in the High Court, where proceedings on the issue were already underway. Representing the state, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the government had followed the Indira Sawhney guidelines by conducting a triple-test and collecting empirical data before fixing 42 percent reservation for BCs in local body polls. Singhvi emphasized that the move was aimed at ensuring fair representation for backward communities across rural and urban bodies.

However, the counsel representing petitioner Madhav Reddy opposed the plea, asserting that the 50 percent ceiling on reservations set by previous Supreme Court judgments could not be breached. He argued that any relaxation to this limit applies only to scheduled and tribal areas, not to general constituencies. With the Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene, the Telangana government must now defend its decision before the High Court, marking a critical phase in the ongoing legal and political battle over the state’s ambitious reservation policy.