The Government Order marked the culmination of a 30-year struggle for sub-categorisation of scheduled castes.
Published Apr 14, 2025 | 3:13 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 14, 2025 | 3:55 PM
Telangana government issued orders to sub-categorise SCs and guidelines for implementing them on Monday, 14 April.
Synopsis: The Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025, published in the gazette on 14 April, provides for the “rationalisation of reservations for SCs through sub-classification to ensure their unified and uniform progress in society and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.”
The 135th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar on Monday, 14 April, turned out to be a historic day for the Scheduled Caste (SC) Madiga community in Telangana.
On Monday, the state government issued orders to sub-categorise SCs and guidelines for implementing them. The SCs are divided into three groups to extend reservations in educational institutions and employment.
The state Assembly passed a Bill on 27 March to facilitate the sub-categorisation of SCs for reservations, which received assent from Governor Jishnu Dev Varma on 8 April.
The Government Orders marked the culmination of a 30-year struggle for sub-categorisation, led by Manda Krishna Madiga, president of the Madiga Reservation Poratta Samithi.
Telangana Irrigation and CAD Minister Uttam Reddy said, “A law will be enforced in Telangana from today (Monday) under which all further issues in employment and education will be done as per Scheduled Caste sub-categorisation. We will call a meeting of all departments tomorrow.”
The Act, known as the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025, was published in the gazette on 14 April, the first day of the Vaisakha masam. It provides for the “rationalisation of reservations for SCs through sub-classification to ensure their unified and uniform progress in society and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.”
Under this Act, of the 15 percent reservation provided for SCs in public appointments and admissions to educational institutions, one percent is reserved for 15 castes in Group I, nine percent for 18 castes in Group II, and five percent for 26 castes in Group III.
The most backward among the SCs are grouped under Group I. Group II includes castes that are neither significantly backward nor advanced, while Group III comprises castes ahead of those in Groups I and II.
Madigas, who constitute 61.96 percent of the SC population (2011 census), are in Group II with nine percent reservation, along with 17 other similar castes.
Malas and 25 other castes, who make up 29.26 percent of the SC population, are in Group III with five percent reservation. The remaining 15 castes, constituting 3.28 percent of the SC population, are in Group I with one percent reservation.
The reservations, effective from 14 April, apply to all job notifications and advertisements for filling seats in educational institutions issued on or after this date. They do not apply to notifications issued before this date.
Minister for Medical and Health Damodar Rajanarasimha, who represents the Madiga community in the state Cabinet, described the day as historic, marking the culmination of relentless efforts by the state government to enact the legislation and issue GOs.
“Very soon, each department in the government will issue job notifications incorporating the new reservation system. It will be done very soon,” he said.
According to the GO on implementation guidelines, a 33.3 percent reservation for women will align with existing rules. If eligible candidates are unavailable to fill posts reserved for SCs at specific roster points, those posts will be filled by candidates from the next SC group.
Similarly, if eligible candidates for reserved seats in educational institutions or jobs are unavailable, they will be filled by candidates from the next SC group. If reserved posts or seats remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified SC candidates, they will not be filled by candidates from other castes but will be carried forward.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, who headed a cabinet sub-committee, said Telangana was the first state to implement the Supreme Court’s 1 August 2024 order empowering states to sub-categorise SCs.
He noted that the first copy of the GO, paving the way for the implementation of reservations for SC sub-castes, was handed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who fast-tracked the process despite thousands of suggestions.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
