Telangana HC extends stay on BC quota in Panchayat polls, next hearing on Jan 29

The Telangana High Court has extended its interim stay on Government Orders providing 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in Panchayat Raj elections. The stay will remain until January 29, 2026, when the matter is scheduled for final hearing.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday extended the interim stay on GO Nos. 9, 41 and 42, which provide 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in the forthcoming Panchayat Raj elections.

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The stay will continue until January 29, 2026, the date fixed for final hearing. The Government Orders were first stayed on October 9, after the Bench noted that the enhanced BC quota pushed the overall reservation in local body elections to 67 per cent, breaching the 50 per cent cap laid down by the Supreme Court in Vikas Kishanrao Gawali case.

Notices were then issued to the State to file its counter within four weeks. When the matter was taken up on Wednesday, the Bench expressed displeasure that neither the State nor the implead petitioners who are supporting the impugned G.O’s had filed the required counter-affidavits, despite earlier directions.

The court adjourned the batch of Writ Petitions, while ordering that the interim stay should remain in force. The petitions challenge the validity of the enhanced reservation, alleging that the State acted contrary to constitutional limits. Following the adjournment, the matter now stands posted to January 29, 2026, for final hearing.