Andhra Pradesh files SLP in Supreme Court challenging HC judgment on BC quota in local body elections

Andhra Pradesh has submitted a Special Leave Petition (SLP) to the Supreme Court, contesting a High Court ruling from October 1 regarding reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections. The dispute centers on the scope of the State Legislature's power under Articles 243-D(6) and 243-T(6) of the Constitution, and how to evaluate contemporary data when determining political reservation for BCs in local self-government bodies.

The government argues that the impugned judgment wrongly assumed the 2026 reservation exercise contained the same defects as a previous one examined by the High Court in Birru Prathap Reddy v. State of Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act 1994, enacted under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, allows the State Legislature to reserve seats and positions for BCs in Gram Panchayats and municipalities.

The AP Panchayat Raj Act was amended in 1995 to mandate a minimum of 34% reservation for BCs in GPs and Mandal and Zilla Praja Parishads. The government initiated a comprehensive Unified Family Survey (UFS) in 2025 to gather detailed data on demographics, socio-economic status, education, employment, housing, assets, and other relevant factors.

The government's appeal to the High Court centers on the contention that the earlier judgment improperly rejected the UFS without conducting a thorough analysis.