Telangana to move SC against HC orders on Panchayat Raj elections

​Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Tuesday decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the interim orders of the Hyderabad High Court on the ceiling for reservations in the coming Panchayat Raj elections in the state.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said his government would appeal to the Supreme Court that its "earlier permission to implement 61 per cent reservation in Telangana, including 34 per cent reservation to the Backward Classes," be reinstated.

KCR instructed the Cabinet sub-committee to meet on Wednesday and do the necessary exercise for filing a petition in the Supreme Court. He suggested to the sub–committee to invite the Additional Advocate General as well as all officers concerned to the meeting and discuss thoroughly the pros and cons of the issue and finalize the strategy to present the argument in the Supreme Court.

The Chief Minister criticised the Congress for filing petitions in the High Court through its party sarpanch Swapna Reddy opposing 34 per cent reservations for the Backward Classes. He made it clear that the state government is committed to provide 34 per cent reservations to the BCs and the necessary legal battle will be fought to achieve this.

The Hyderabad High Court had on Monday issued interim orders directing the Telangana government to ensure that reservation to OBCs and others in the coming local body polls is as per the overall 50 per cent quota fixed by the Supreme Court.

A single judge had asked the government not to go ahead with BC reservations without first enumerating the BCs. The bench said the state can enumerate but it cannot cross 50% upper limit.