Telangana, Andhra Pradesh pave way for quota within quota in SC Reservation

Sub-categorisation of SC reservation was the flavour of the week among the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to pave the way for sub categorisation of SC reservation in the state. The bill has divided the 59 sub castes of SC within three groups and distributed the 15% SC reservation among the groups. The three groups have been allotted 1%, 5% and 9% reservation.

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said in the House that the threshold cannot be increased due to the 15% upper limit. However, once the census is complete in 2026 the state government will think further of increasing the reservation. In a seven-judge bench judgment, the Supreme Court in August last year ruled that states are constitutionally allowed to sub-classify SCs and STs based on varying levels of backwardness. It was after this judgement that a few states like Telangana started the process of subcategorization. Two days after the Telangana assembly passed the bill, the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution to accept and endorse the report filed by Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, a retired IAS officer heading the one-man committee on subcategorization of SC reservation. His report was accepted unanimously in the house.

The report will now be sent to the National Commission for Scheduled Caste for some amendments, if required. Mishra submitted the report on March 10, dividing the 59 SC sub castes into three groups on the line of Telangana. However, his recommendation for percentage-wise reservation is different from the Telangana bill. According to his report, the 15% SC reservation should be divided among three groups as 1%, 7.5% and 6.5%.