HC directs Telangana govt to quantify BC population, then head for polls

Justice M S Ramachandra Rao of the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed the authorities to quantify the Backward Classes (BCs) population in Telangana before heading to notify and reserve vacancies for them in the upcoming gram panchayats elections.

Based on a petition filed by the Congress leaders Dasoju Sravan Kumar and B Ravindranath, the Judge passed the order and also said that there were two HC judgments which made it mandatory to conduct a scientific survey on BCs, publish the figures and invite objections before reserving seats for BCs.

As per the petitioner’s counsel, the state is going ahead with rough estimates on BC population and the Samagra Kutumba Survey conducted by the state put BC population at 54% of the state’s population. However, as it was not published, no objections were raised and the state is according 34% reservations to BCs in local bodies through the Panchayat Raj Act. Also, the Telangana Legislature resolution providing 37% reservation to BCs is yet to secure the President’s assent.

While the petitioners’ counsel insisted on the court’s intervention regarding the issuance of the panchayat raj poll notification, the judge cleared it that the state should collect the data, publish it and follow all the guidelines before proceeding to the polls.