The AP High Court on Tuesday ruled that the combined reservations for Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Panchayat Raj local bodies should not exceed the upper ceiling of 50 per cent.
It directed the State Election Commission to commence the election process for local bodies in the state immediately, and complete it within three months from the date of finalisation of the reservation percentage by the state government. While disposing of a batch of public interest litigations challenging the 60.55 per cent reservations in local bodies, the court directed the state to cut the quota for BCs and bring the cumulative figure down to 50 per cent. The government had argued that 34 per cent quota for BCs was followed since 1994; the government had provided 60.55 per cent quota in 2006 to BCs, SCs and STs.