minsta

Telangana to set up dedicated commission for BC following High Court order

Pabio November 4, 2024

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday evening directed officials to expeditiously set up a dedicated Backward Classes (BC) Commission on Monday, following a recent High Court order, to specifically address the reservations of the B.C. British in local elections, a measure to align with court mandates. and respond to requests from community leaders.

The directive follows a High Court ruling last week, in response to a petition filed by BC Leader R. Krishnaiah. The court had instructed the government to form a dedicated committee within two weeks. The court said the delegation of this responsibility to the Telangana Backward Classes Commission did not meet the requirements laid down by the Supreme Court.

The High Court emphasized that an independent commission, focused exclusively on assessing the lag of British Columbia’s communities, was essential.

Government sources clarified that the creation of the new commission will not affect the state-wide caste census, which is scheduled to begin on November 6. The census, intended to collect socio-economic data on all castes and communities, will take place as planned.

The decision to create a dedicated British Columbia commission was influenced by recent legal challenges from opposition leaders and British Columbia representatives. These leaders had challenged the state’s previous approach of using data from the existing BC Commission, which was originally created based on legislation passed in 1993 and had not authority over reservations in education and employment, apart from the addition and removal of castes from the BC Schedule.

They argued that the existing commission’s involvement in local body reservations lacked legal basis and violated recent decisions of the Supreme Court and High Court.

The Chief Minister, reiterating his commitment to fairness and transparency, asked officials to ensure that the new commission operates on a consensus-based approach. Reddy stressed that the state government remains committed to following an impartial process to determine B.C.’s reservations, consistent with all legal precedent.

The caste census will continue as planned, with data collection extending beyond BC communities to build a comprehensive socio-economic profile of all castes and religions in Telangana.