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The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the Andhra Pradesh government's plea to restore the 34% reservation quota for Backward Classes in local bodies. The Court upheld a High Court ruling that dismissed the government's appeal, stating that the State had failed to provide the necessary empirical data to justify exceeding the 50% reservation ceiling.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi had argued before the Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu that the State's decision was supported by demographic data, but the High Court disagreed, citing the lack of a specific empirical assessment of backwardness and representation in local bodies. The Bench emphasized that the unified family survey used was insufficient to justify the enhanced quota.

The government had sought to distinguish this year's exercise from the one struck down six years ago, claiming that the 2026 survey, verification by gram and ward sabhas, local-body-wise data, and findings of an independent dedicated commission were considered. However, the Court remained unconvinced, stating that figures from the unified family survey could not be considered sufficient.

In March 2020, the High Court had struck down the 34% reservation decision, finding that it would take the combined quota for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes to 59.85%, which exceeded the 50% ceiling. The State government had sought to restore the enhanced quota ahead of the local body elections, but the High Court rejected their reliance on the unified family survey and directed them to undertake a detailed, data-backed exercise to establish backwardness.