The Crossbill News Desk
Telangana has become the second state in India, after BJP-ruled Haryana, to introduce sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs) for reservations.
The Congress-led government, under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, passed the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Bill, 2025, on Tuesday (March 18), nearly seven months after the Supreme Court ruled that states could sub-classify SCs based on varying levels of discrimination and backwardness.
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana’s neighbouring state, is also preparing to implement a similar system, having already completed much of the groundwork.
On August 1 last year, a 7-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, by the ratio of 6:1, ruled that sub-classification of Scheduled Castes is permissible for allocating separate quotas to the most marginalized communities on the SC list.
The Congress had opposed the judgment, with party President Mallikarjun Kharge strongly criticizing the idea of denying reservations to SCs and STs based on the ‘creamy layer’ concept, calling it "condemnable." He had urged the Union government to introduce legislation in Parliament to nullify the specific portion of the Supreme Court ruling that addressed this issue.
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana’s neighbouring state, is also preparing to implement a similar system, having already completed much of the groundwork.
On August 1 last year, a 7-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, by the ratio of 6:1, ruled that sub-classification of Scheduled Castes is permissible for allocating separate quotas to the most marginalized communities on the SC list.
The Congress had opposed the judgment, with party President Mallikarjun Kharge strongly criticizing the idea of denying reservations to SCs and STs based on the ‘creamy layer’ concept, calling it "condemnable." He had urged the Union government to introduce legislation in Parliament to nullify the specific portion of the Supreme Court ruling that addressed this issue.
The issue of sub-classification has long been a contentious one in the Telugu-speaking states, particularly between the Mala and Madiga communities. The Malas, historically perceived as having better access to opportunities, have been accused of benefiting disproportionately from reservations, while the Madigas, despite being numerically stronger, have struggled due to their socio-economic backwardness.
The new legislation divides the 59 SC sub-castes from the Presidential List into three groups, ensuring proportional distribution of the existing 15% reservation quota based on population and backwardness levels.
- Group I, comprising 15 of the most disadvantaged communities, will receive 1% reservation, corresponding to their 3.28% population share (2011 Census).
- Group II, which includes 18 moderately benefitted communities—primarily Madigas and their sub-castes—will receive 9% of the reservation, in proportion to their 62.74% population.
- Group III, which consists of 26 relatively advantaged communities, including Malas and their sub-castes, will get 5%, matching their 33.96% population share.
While the Bill was passed unanimously in the Telangana Assembly, it remained silent on the implementation of the creamy layer principle, which could exclude economically well-off individuals within these groups to ensure benefits reach the most deprived.
A one-man commission, led by retired judge Shameem Akhter, had reportedly recommended the application of the creamy layer principle, but the state government chose not to include it in the legislation.
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