सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने एपी में 34% बीसी कोटा की सरकार की मांग को खारिज कर हाई कोर्ट के फैसले को बरकरार रखा

‘Very reasonable approach’: Supreme Court rejects Andhra Pradesh’s plea on 34% BC quota

The Andhra Pradesh government's GOs provided a 34 per cent reservation to backward castes in rural local bodies and 33.33 per cent in urban local bodies.

The Supreme Court has upheld an Andhra Pradesh High Court division bench’s order striking down two state Government Orders (GOs) issued to implement a 34% quota for the Backward Classes in local body elections.

Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sheel Nagu dismissed the Andhra Pradesh government’s plea, describing the High Court’s judgment as based on a “very reasonable approach”.

The Andhra Pradesh government’s GOs provided a 34 per cent reservation to backward castes in rural local bodies and 33.33 per cent in urban local bodies.

The petitioners who approached the High Court objected to the implementation of the 34 per cent reservation in AP local bodies, saying it would cause the reservation limit to exceed 50 per cent, contrary to Supreme Court guidelines.

The Supreme Court had previously held that an independent commission must be established to comprehensively examine social conditions before deciding on BC quotas, and that the total reservation must not breach the 50% ceiling.

After forming the Rajiv Ranjan Mishra Commission, the Andhra Pradesh government instructed it to assess BCs using data from previously conducted Comprehensive Family Surveys. Without conducting an independent field survey, the commission relied primarily on data provided by the administration.

“You show us this data can be considered. This is the Comprehensive Family Survey. Under what law is this being made? Dismissed. Very reasonable approach by the High Court,” Justice Dipankar Datta was quoted as saying.

AP government’s stand on BC quotas

Before the verdict, NDA coalition leaders maintained that the state government was pursuing an unyielding effort to secure 34% local body reservations for BCs.

They argued that, if implemented, the 34% quota would secure roughly 16,800 local governance posts for BC candidates—ranging from Sarpanches, MPTCs, and ZPTCs to Municipal Councillors and Mayors—creating pathways for them to enter state assemblies and Parliament.

Several BC ministers from the state cabinet travelled to Delhi to assist the legal effort ahead of the Supreme Court hearing. The ministerial team consulted senior Supreme Court advocates, including Mukul Rohatgi and Devadatt Kamat, reviewing apex court precedents, commission reports, and viable arguments.

Legal observers noted that previous Supreme Court Constitution Bench rulings on the 50% quota ceiling were explicit.

In internal discussions and teleconferences, TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu was said to have told party leaders that if statutory backing could not be secured, the party would seek to implement proportionate representation politically by allotting tickets based on population share, preparing the party to counter political campaigns.

Powered by Nyaya 247 News