Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea challenging Telangana's 100% reservation to local students in 'Competent Authority Quota'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea challenging a decision of the Telangana government providing 100 per cent reservation under the 'Competent Authority Quota' to only local students.

A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and S.V.N. Bhatti said that it will not examine the writ petition as a similar proceedings were pending before the Telangana High Court.

The plea filed under Article 32 of the Constitution alleged that the action of the Government of Telangana, driven by ulterior motives discriminated against students hailing from Andhra Pradesh.

“The G.O.Ms. No. 72 dated 03.07.2023 issued by the State of Telangana…providing 100% reservation under 'Competent Authority Quota' to only students of Telangana State as against the object and intent of Article 371D, is highly-illegal, arbitrary, irregular, irrational, and in violation to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014 apart from being violative of Articles 14, 16 and 21 of the Constitution of India, 1950,” it stated.

The petition said that the discriminatory reservation policy not only violates Section 95 and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 but also infringes upon the Fundamental rights and Constitutional safeguards as guaranteed under Article 14, Article 16 and Article 21.

“Petitioners before this Hon'ble Court have a better NEET score and consequentially a higher All-India Rank than that of the 6 candidates who approached the Hon'ble High Court of Telangana,” stated the plea filed through advocates P. Thirumala Rao and Filza Moonis.

Earlier, the decision was challenged before the Telangana High Court, but it restricted the relief to only six candidates who had approached the high court instead of passing an order in rem.