The Scheduled Castes in Telangana will be divided into three sub-groups. Eighteen SC communities that have seen moderate benefits are placed in Group II. They make up 62.74% of the total SC population. The Commission has recommended a 9% reservation for them.
Hyderabad: The one-member Judicial Commission, led by retired High Court judge Justice Shameem Akhtar, proposed the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Telangana into three categories to ensure fair implementation of a 15% reservation policy.
In a report presented by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy during a special Assembly session on Tuesday, 59 SC communities have been divided into three groups. Group I includes 15 SC communities identified as the most socially, economically, and educationally disadvantaged, representing 3.288% of the SC population based on the 2011 census. The Commission recommends a 1% reservation for this group.
Group II comprises 18 SC communities that have seen moderate benefits, making up 62.74% of the total SC population. The Commission suggests a 9% reservation for them. Group III consists of 26 SC communities that have largely benefited from existing reservations, representing 33.963% of the SC population, for which a 5% reservation is recommended.
The Madiga community, led by Manda Krishna Madiga, a prominent advocate for SC sub-categorization, falls into Group II, accounting for 61.967% of the total SC population. The Malas community, another significant SC group, has been placed in Group III, along with the Mala Ayawaru, together constituting 29.265% of the SC population.
During his statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister remarked that the campaign for SC sub-categorization has persisted for three decades. He emphasized that the state government is now working to find a permanent solution in line with a Supreme Court judgment.
Revanth Reddy stated,
“I am happy that I got this opportunity. This will be forever etched in history,”
Expressing pride in the decision regarding sub-categorization. He recalled being expelled from the Assembly for advocating for this cause, noting that, as the leader of the House, he is now facilitating its implementation, which he attributed to “the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar.”
The Judicial Commission submitted its findings to the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Monday, which subsequently approved the report before it was presented in the Assembly.
Also Read: Supreme Court: Merger Of Tanti Caste With Scheduled Caste (SC) Category Is Bad In Law
This Sub-Committee was formed on September 12, 2024, with Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy as chairman and Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha as co-chairman, tasked with implementing the Supreme Court’s directives on SC sub-classification.
In October, following the Cabinet Sub-Committee’s recommendation, the state government established the one-member judicial commission to evaluate intra-backwardness among different castes within the SCs and to review the Supreme Court’s seven-judge Constitution Bench judgment on this matter.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy welcomed the Supreme Court’s August 1 ruling, declaring that Telangana would be the first state to implement it.