Legal Battle Over Telangana's 67% Quota Shifts to High Court After SC Refusal

New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India today dismissed a plea challenging the Telangana government's order that increased the reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections from 25% to 42%. However, the apex court refrained from ruling on the reservation policy's validity, instead instructing the petitioner to approach the Telangana High Court, which is already hearing similar matters.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta declined to intervene, citing the ongoing proceedings in the High Court. The bench, while dismissing the writ petition filed by Vanga Gopal Reddy, granted him the liberty to pursue the case in the High Court. Crucially, the Supreme Court refused to issue an interim stay on the government order, GO Ms. No. 9, which was issued on September 26, 2025.

Member of Parliament Dr Mallu Ravi says, " The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the case against 42 percent reservation to backward classes is most welcome. We are expecting a similar judgement in the High Court on October 8th. We wish that all those who have gone to court may kindly withdraw the cases for the larger interest of the people of Telangana."

What is the legal battle?

The Telangana government's order is under intense legal scrutiny because the new 42% quota for BCs, when combined with the existing 15% for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 10% for Scheduled Tribes (STs), pushes the total reservation in local bodies to 67%.

The petitioner argued that this breaches the 50% reservation ceiling mandated by the Supreme Court's landmark 1992 Indra Sawhney judgment. Furthermore, the challenge contends that the government order violates the Supreme Court's "triple test" for OBC reservations in local bodies, which includes the condition of not exceeding the 50% limit.

Battle Shifts to Telangana High Court

The Supreme Court's dismissal means the legal uncertainty surrounding the reservation policy now entirely hinges on the proceedings in the Telangana High Court. The High Court is already scheduled to hear arguments on the matter on October 8, 2025.

The High Court will now examine the core legal questions: whether the government's order is constitutional, if it violates the 50% reservation cap, and whether the state government has satisfied all the criteria—such as collecting empirical data on backwardness—established by the Supreme Court for implementing reservations in local bodies.

The State Election Commission has already announced the election schedule, and the legal challenge poses a potential threat of disruption to the entire local body election process.