Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Wednesday, October 8, adjourned the hearing on BC reservations to the next day, Thursday, at 2:15 pm.
The court has not stayed the election process as the State Election Commission (SEC) is yet to release the official notification for the local body elections.
Appearing for the government, advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi stated that the reservation bill was passed in the Assembly after a unanimous decision by all political parties and that the government had enhanced the reservations only after a comprehensive caste census.
He also informed the court that the election schedule has already been released, and as per legal precedents, courts should not interfere once the election process has begun.
The court has posed several questions to the state government, asking it if the triple test, as directed by the Supreme Court in granting reservations in local bodies, has been implemented and since when the reservation bill has been pending with the Governor.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had rejected a writ petition challenging the government order enhancing BC reservations to 42 percent in the local body polls as two petitions on the issue had been pending before the High Court.
Petitioners have challenged the GO that would bring the total reservations in the state to 67 percent along with the existing 15 percent for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 10 percent for Scheduled Tribes (STs) stating that it goes beyond the 50 percent cap ordered by the Supreme Court.
Earlier in the day, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy held a meeting with Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other cabinet colleagues, besides other ruling Congress leaders, to discuss the petitions against Backward Classes reservation in local bodies.
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