The Andhra Pradesh High Court has struck down the state government’s orders that raised Backward Classes reservation in local bodies to 34 per cent. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan held that the increase pushed total reservations past the 50 per cent ceiling laid down by the Supreme Court. The judges found that the empirical data the state relied on to justify going beyond that limit was invalid and lacked a scientific basis. The court asked the government to revisit the BC quota so that it conforms to earlier Supreme Court rulings on the subject. It also directed the government and the State Election Commission to begin the process of polling for gram panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations within six weeks, saying the exercise cannot be put off on any ground.
Many of these bodies saw their terms end in March and April, so the vacuum in elected governance has already dragged on for months. The bench rejected the argument that the ongoing revision of electoral rolls justified delay, observing that existing rolls can be used if legal requirements are met. Petitions asking for polls to be deferred until a BC census and sub-categorisation are finished were also dismissed, including the YSRCP’s plea. The state cabinet had approved the 34 per cent figure in August, citing enumeration data that placed BCs at roughly 50 per cent of the population, against a current local body quota of about 24 per cent. Chief Minister N.
Chandrababu Naidu had described the hike as a historic correction giving the community more political voice and dignity. Reports suggest the NDA government may skip an appeal and instead let parties voluntarily field BC candidates in 34 per cent of seats. Officials are reportedly keen to hold polls quickly because delays could put a large amount of central funding at risk. The verdict is a major setback to a flagship social-justice promise and will shape the coming local election campaign.