Telangana Government to implement SC sub-classification reservations following Supreme Court verdict
Hyderabad: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Thursday announced in the Assembly that the Telangana government will take decisive steps to implement reservations for the Madiga and Mala sub-castes following the Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling on SC sub-classification. The government is prepared to issue an ordinance if necessary to ensure these reservations are included in the upcoming job notifications.
The Supreme Court on August 1 (Thursday), upheld the authority of states to sub-classify reserved category groups, specifically Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), based on their internal backwardness to extend the benefits of reservation. This ruling allows states to categorise SC/STs into different groups to better address their varying levels of socio-economic disadvantages.
Revanth Reddy expressed his gratitude for the Supreme Court’s verdict delivered by the Constitutional Bench, which is seen as a significant victory for Telangana’s efforts in this area. He emphasised that the state government will act in accordance with the Court’s decision to implement the classification of sub-castes as per the new guidelines.
The Chief Minister also referred to the previous government’s suspension of Sampath Kumar, which occurred in response to the postponement of the Madiga and Mala sub-castes reclassification. On December 23, 2023, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu sent Advocate General Damodara Rajanarsimha to present arguments before the Supreme Court regarding the classification issue.
Chilkur priest Rangarajan congratulated Manda Krishna MRPS for his sustained efforts in achieving this judicial victory. He highlighted the longstanding inequalities faced by historically marginalised communities like the Tiruppan Alwar. Rangarajan noted that implementing a creamy layer within the SC category could help address these persistent inequalities.
The Supreme Court’s seven-judge Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and including Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Satish Chandra Sharma, overruled the 2005 judgment in EV Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh. The earlier judgment had deemed the sub-classification of SCs/STs contrary to Article 341 of the Constitution, which designates the President to prepare the list of SCs/STs.
Justice Bela Trivedi was the sole dissenter, arguing that sub-classification should not be allowed. However, the majority opinion affirmed the validity of state laws providing for such sub-classifications, citing Punjab and Tamil Nadu provisions as examples.
వర్గీకరణ కోసం ప్రజా ప్రభుత్వం చేసిన…
న్యాయపోరాటం ఫలించింది. సుప్రీం కోర్టు ధర్మాసనానికి ధన్యవాదాలు. #TelanganaPrajaPrabhutwam pic.twitter.com/La3ZCyVvC8— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) August 1, 2024
The Court upheld the Punjab Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006, and the Tamil Nadu Arunthathiyars (Special Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State within the Reservation for the Scheduled Castes) Act, 2009, which respectively provide for reservation within the SC categories in services and educational institutions.
