Telangana First To Implement SC Categorisation After Supreme Court Verdict: Uttam Kumar Reddy 

·         Congress turned decades-old promise into law, fresh job notifications from Tuesday 

·         Rules specified carry-forward mechanism, exclusive quotas for each SC sub-group

Hyderabad, April 14: Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday announced that Telangana had created history by becoming the first state in the country to legally implement Scheduled Caste (SC) categorisation after the Supreme Court’s verdict on August 1, 2024.

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Speaking on Ambedkar Jayanthi at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat, Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with ministers Damodar Raja Narasimha and Ponnam Prabhakar, and MP Balram Naik, said that the Congress Government had transformed a long-pending demand into law through a transparent and legally sound process.

“We have officially released the Government Order today and handed over the first copy to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The categorisation of SCs has been a matter of long-standing discussion in the Assembly across all parties, but no government had the courage or commitment to act on it. It was only after our government came to power that the process was set in motion.”

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He stated that the government had issued three key Government Orders to operationalise SC categorisation: G.O.Ms. No. 9 and G.O.Ms. No. 10 of the Scheduled Castes Development Department, and G.O.Ms. No. 99 of the General Administration Department, all dated April 14, 2025. While G.O. No. 9 notified the SC (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025, G.O. No. 10 contained the detailed implementation rules, and G.O. No. 99 issued instructions for applying these reservations in government services.

Uttam Kumar Reddy read out the key details of the Act and Rules, explaining their significance and outlining how they would be enforced. “The Congress Government has done what no other party could. All parties extended verbal support for SC categorisation, but none took it to implementation. We have done it legally, inclusively, and with full preparedness,” he said.

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He clarified that the new categorisation would not apply to recruitment notifications issued before August 1, 2024, the date of the Supreme Court’s ruling. “We did not issue any new job notification after that date so we could legally implement categorisation. Now that the framework is in place, the Chief Secretary and all departments had been instructed to issue fresh notifications from Tuesday onwards,” he stated.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that within just two to three hours of the Supreme Court delivering its judgment on August 1, 2024, the Congress Government in Telangana had made a firm decision to implement SC categorisation without any delay. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, and other senior ministers were unanimous in their view that the court verdict must be translated into immediate action. A Cabinet Sub-Committee was promptly constituted to give shape to Rahul Gandhi’s vision of social justice and ensure that the most marginalised among SC communities received their due share.

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He credited the visionary leadership of Rahul Gandhi for making this Act possible. “Rahul Gandhi’s firm stand on social justice and his consistent support for marginalised communities laid the ideological foundation for this bold step. His commitment to equitable development empowered the Congress Government in Telangana to carry this Act forward with moral clarity and political conviction,” he said.

The Act, unanimously passed by the Telangana Legislative Assembly on March 18 and approved by the Governor, reorganised the existing 15% SC reservation into three distinct groups based on the socio-economic status of SC sub-castes:

·         Group I, the most disadvantaged 15 sub-castes (3.288% of SC population), received 1% reservation. 

·         Group II, with 18 moderately represented sub-castes (62.74% of the population), was allotted 9%. 

·         Group III, comprising 26 relatively better-off sub-castes (33.963%), received 5%.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Rules, notified in G.O.Ms. No. 10, provided a detailed and enforceable framework for the implementation of SC categorisation in public employment, education, and welfare schemes. From now on, all government job and admission notifications must mention the group-wise allocation of SC reservation.

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“A key feature of the rules is the carry-forward mechanism: if a post reserved for a particular SC sub-group remained unfilled due to non-availability of eligible candidates, the post could not be transferred to another group. It would be carried forward to the next recruitment cycle under the same category,” he said. However, departments were required to take all necessary steps to fill such vacancies, including extending deadlines and reaching out to eligible candidates within that group.

The government would constitute a State-level Monitoring Committee to supervise the implementation. All departments must maintain group-wise records of selections and admissions and submit quarterly reports to the Chief Secretary. The rules also specified that non-compliance may attract disciplinary action.

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Importantly, the Congress Government rejected the proposal to introduce a creamy layer, ensuring that no SC group would be excluded based on income or occupation. “We are here to ensure justice, not exclusion. Our aim is to balance the benefits fairly among all groups while preserving everyone’s rights,” said Uttam Kumar Reddy.

The categorisation was based on the detailed report of the Justice Shamim Akhtar Commission, which was appointed in October 2024. The Commission received over 8,600 representations and analysed indicators like population, literacy, higher education, employment, financial aid, and political participation across 59 SC sub-castes. Its findings formed the basis for the three-group classification.

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The Cabinet Sub-Committee that reviewed and finalised the implementation plan was chaired by Uttam Kumar Reddy, with Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha as Vice-Chairman, and Ministers D Seethakka, Ponnam Prabhakar, and MP Balram Naik as members. The Sub-Committee thoroughly examined the Commission’s report before giving its final nod.

Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha said the move would correct historical injustices. “There are internal inequalities within Dalits that must have been addressed. This categorisation ensured that the most neglected groups were not left behind any longer,” he said.

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Minister Ponnam Prabhakar praised the Congress leadership and said the implementation would be remembered as one of the most important social reforms in Telangana. “It is not just an announcement; it is a constitutional correction,” he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also pointed out that while the 15% SC quota was based on the 2011 Census, the SC population in Telangana was now estimated to be around 17.5%. He said the Congress Government would consider enhancing the reservation percentage after the 2026 Census, once updated population data becomes available.

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“With the rules now in effect and institutional machinery set in motion, Telangana has taken a bold and pioneering step toward equitable justice within the Scheduled Castes, setting a new benchmark for affirmative action backed by legal, social, and political will,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said. (Maxim News)

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