In a big relief to the Revanth Reddy-led government, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions filed against the BC reservations in local bodies. A bench comprising Justice Vikramanath and Justice Sandeep Mehta rejected the petition saying that it could not be accepted for hearing as it was pending in the High Court.
A person named Vanga Gopal Reddy filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the increase in reservations for BCs in the Telangana local elections. The two-member bench that heard the matter asked the petitioner’s lawyer why he came here while the hearing was underway in the High Court.
To this, he replied that the Telangana High Court had refused to grant a stay. To this, if the stay was refused there, would he come here? It asked. In this context, the petition was dismissed saying that it could not be accepted for hearing as it was pending in the High Court.
The Congress government led by Revanth Reddy issued G.O. No. 9 on September 26 and announced 42 percent reservation for BCs in local bodies. It described it as social justice. The Panchayat Raj Department released the reservation gazettes based on this G.O.
To that extent, the State Election Commission announced the schedule for the elections to local bodies (Gram Panchayats, Mandal Praja Parishads, Zilla Parishads) in Telangana. The ZPTC and MPTC elections will be held in two phases and the Panchayat elections in three phases, making the election process complete in five phases from October 9 to November 11.
However, Madhav Reddy filed a petition in the High Court challenging the G.O. issued by the government providing 42 percent reservation for BCs in local bodies. The petitioner stated that new reservations are being provided without canceling the previous reservations. The High Court bench, which conducted the hearing, adjourned the hearing to the 8th.
Meanwhile, Vanga Gopal Reddy has filed another petition in the Supreme Court. Gopal Reddy said in his petition that the total reservation in local body elections is exceeding 50 percent. He mentioned that the Supreme Court had previously ruled that even if SC, ST, BC, Divyang and other reservations are combined, the reservation should not exceed 50 percent.
He said that lifting the ceiling given by the Supreme Court and providing 42 percent reservation to BCs is illegal. He said that if the reservation given to SCs is 15 percent, STs are 10 percent, and BCs are added to 42 percent, the total reservation becomes 67 percent.
He demanded that GO 9, which provides 42 percent reservation to BCs, be immediately repealed. Madhav Reddy and Teenmar Mallanna were also implicated in this petition. The two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which heard the matter, dismissed the petition.
