The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Telangana government on a petition challenging the omission of 26 castes and communities, which enjoyed reservation till the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, from the list of Backward Classes.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu sought the State’s response on the reason behind the issuance of a Government Order dated March 11, 2015 which omitted the 26 communities, including the ‘Setti Balija’ from the list.
The petition, filed by the Setti Balija Youth Association against the State of Telangana, contended that the government omitted these 26 communities only on the ground that these were prevalent in the districts which now did not form part of the State.
“It is estimated that as on the date of bifurcation of the State of Andhra Pradesh, about 10 lakh people belonging to the Setti Balija community migrated to the Telangana region, including Hyderabad city, from various districts of the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions and availed reservation facility as provided in September 23, 1970,” the petition said.
In 1970, a Commission of Inquiry had made a list of 138 castes and communities in the list of backward classes in the composite State of Andhra Pradesh comprising 23 districts. The association contended that the High Court dismissed its petition without appreciating that omitting any class or community without the recommendation of the Commission for Backward Class constituted under a 1993 law was violative of fundamental rights of the Constitution.
These communities enjoyed reservation till bifurcation of A.P.
