Hyderabad: The Congress government in Telangana is likely to approach the Supreme Court against the High Court issuing an interim stay against a Government Order (GO) providing 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes in local bodies.

In the wake of the High Court issuing the interim stay against the GO, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday discussed the next course of action with his cabinet colleagues, AICC incharge of party affairs in Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan and also Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Congress sources on Saturday said the government is keen on ensuring 42 per cent quota to BCs and that it would soon knock the doors of the Supreme Court for implementation of the GO.

The High Court on October 9 issued an interim stay on providing 42 per cent BC reservation in local bodies.

Following the court’s stay order, the Telangana State Election Commission on the same day announced that the poll notification issued on September 29 for rural local body polls and further activities are being suspended until further notification.

Local body elections to continue without 42 percent BC reservations

A detailed order copy was uploaded on the Telangana High Court website on Friday night, stating that the State Election Commission would notify the proportionate seats as open category seats and proceed with the elections.

Further, the High Court also stated that the 50 per cent reservation ceiling set by the Supreme Court applies to local body polls, and any quota increase for OBCs should be within the framework of the “triple test”.

The Supreme Court’s triple test is a framework for providing reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local body elections, requiring states to form a commission to collect data, specify the reservation proportion based on the commission’s findings, and ensure the total reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs does not exceed 50 per cent of the total seats.

“We are, therefore, of the prima facie view that the respondents/State have failed to adhere to the criteria of 50 per cent upper ceiling as laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vikas Kishanrao Gawali (supra) by issuance of G.O.Ms.Nos.9, dated 26.09.2025, whereby 42 per cent reservation has been provided to the OBCs in the local bodies, thereby breaching the ceiling of 50 per cent to a total of 67 per cent reservation in local bodies,” the court said in its order.

Besides GO no 9, the court also stayed consequential Government Orders no 41 and 42.

BC reservations in Telangana

Fulfilling an election promise, the Congress government on September 26 issued an order to provide 42 per cent reservation to BCs in local bodies.

The GO follows two bills passed by the state legislature earlier this year to enhance BC reservation to 42 per cent in education, employment, and local bodies.

The Bills were forwarded to the Governor and are currently awaiting Presidential assent.

Chief Minister Reddy on August 6 led a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding Presidential assent for the BC reservation Bills and alleged that the BJP-led central government was stalling them as it was “anti-OBC”.

The ruling Congress had promised before the 2023 assembly polls to provide 42 per cent reservation to the BCs.

(With inputs from PTI.)

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