Telangana Assembly unanimously passes historic SC Categorisation Bill

Hyderabad: The Scheduled Caste (SC) Categorisation Bill was unanimously enacted by the Telangana Legislative Assembly, taking a crucial step toward fulfilling long-standing Dalit aspirations for equal representation.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy moved the Telangana Scheduled Caste (Rationalisation of Reservations) Bill, 2025 during the ongoing Assembly Budget Sessions on Tuesday. The Bill focuses on SC sub-categorisation, ensuring sub-quotas for 59 sub-castes within the existing 15 percent SC reservations.

Congress supporting Dalits since independence

During a debate on the Bill, the chief minister said that the Congress party has been supporting Dalits since independence and has given many opportunities to SCs in the party and in the government. Babu Jagjivanram was honored by being given various portfolios at the Center. The Congress party has a legacy of empowering Dalit leaders, including the appointment of Mallikarjun Kharge as the AICC president and previously making Damodaram Sanjeevaiah India’s first Dalit Chief Minister.

Revanth Reddy also said that there was a struggle for SC classification in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh as well. "Many people sacrificed their lives in the struggle that lasted for decades. In 2004, the Congress tried to resolve the issue by setting up the Usha Mehra Committee. It is gratifying that the problem has been resolved while I have been the CM. Within an hour of the Supreme Court verdict, we announced a decision in favor of SC classification and immediately appointed a cabinet subcommittee headed by Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy,” he said.

Legal arguments in the Punjab case continued for a long time in the Supreme Court. After Congress assumed power in Telangana, the State Government presented strong arguments on SC categorisation by a reputed advocate before 7 member judge bench in the Apex Court, the chief minister said.

Shamim Akthar Commission receives 8,681 proposals from public

Based on the recommendation of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, the Shamim Akhtar Commission was appointed, and it has received as many as 8,681 proposals from the public. “We accepted the commission's report without any changes. The commission divided the 59 SC sub-castes into three groups and has made recommendations based on the benefits received by 59 castes so far," the CM said.

Revanth Reddy said that the state government will also support the families of those who lost their lives during the struggle for SC classification. Those families will be given priority in the allotment of Indiramma houses and Rajiv Yuva Vikasam schemes. "Everyone supported the government's decision to provide a permanent solution for SC classification . Will enhance the SC quota as per the 2026 census report. Government takes the responsibility of increasing reservations and hand out them reasonably," he added.

The chief minister said, "I am assuring all SC community justice will be delivered in Indiramma government. Will take the responsibility of increasing reservations and implementing the same."

He also thanked the Assembly for its overwhelming support of the bill and praised its passage as a historic step toward guaranteeing justice and fair representation for marginalized populations.

Uttam terms SC Categorisation Bill 'historic' decision

In response to the Bill, Uttam Kumar Reddy described the approval of the SC (Rationalisation of Reservations) Bill 2025 in the State Assembly as a "historic" decision that met a decades-long desire. Reddy, who chaired the Cabinet Sub-Committee on executing the Supreme Court's decision on SC categorisation, praised the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, for addressing a decades-old demand in both undivided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Reddy emphasized that, while the previous governments passed resolutions in support of SC classification, the Congress government took genuine steps to put it into effect. The Shamim Akhtar Commission, which was tasked with investigating the socioeconomic state of 59 SC subcastes, advised categorizing them into three groups based on inter-se backwardness. Under the revised classification, 26 better-off groups obtained 5 percent reservation, 18 moderately-benefitted groups earned 9 percent, and 15 most disadvantaged SC groupings received 1 percent.

BRS Supports SC Categorisation Bill

BRS MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy expressed complete support for the Bill, recalling that a resolution was voted in the House under the BRS mandate and conveyed to the Centre.

However, no amendments were made to the Constitution. Many people would have benefited if it had been done, he emphasized, further requesting that the State government ensure that reservations in education and jobs were implemented in the near future in accordance with the SC Sub Classification.

"The Madiga community will benefit from the local body elections, which should take place after the SC classification is finished," Prashanth Reddy said.