Telangana Becomes First State to Officially Categorize Scheduled Castes
Historic Move in Telangana
Hyderabad: On Monday, the Telangana government announced a significant order regarding the categorization of Scheduled Castes (SC), marking it as the first state in India to take this step officially, as stated by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Previously, the Telangana administration had formed a commission led by retired High Court judge Justice Shameem Akther to evaluate SC categorization. This commission recommended dividing the 59 SC communities into three distinct groups: I, II, and III, to allocate a total of 15 percent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
The government order (GO) was published following the assent from the Governor of Telangana on April 8, 2025, and was made public in the Telangana Gazette on April 14, 2025.
This announcement coincided with the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution.
According to the commission's findings, Group-I, consisting of 15 SC communities that are socially, economically, and educationally disadvantaged, will receive a one percent reservation.
Group-II, which includes 18 moderately benefited SC communities, will be allocated a nine percent quota, while Group-III, comprising 26 SC communities that have seen significant benefits, will receive five percent reservation.
During a press conference, Minister Reddy, who led the sub-committee on SC categorization, presented the first copy of the GO to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
"From this moment onward, SC categorization will be enforced in Telangana for both employment and education. We have issued a GO to that effect and presented the first copy to the Chief Minister," he informed the media.
"Telangana is the pioneering state to implement SC categorization following the Supreme Court's rulings," Reddy added.
The minister criticized previous administrations in Telangana for merely passing resolutions regarding categorization without taking any substantial action.
He also mentioned that all job openings in the state government will now be filled based on the new SC sub-categorization.
The Irrigation Minister emphasized that the cabinet sub-committee conducted thorough consultations with various stakeholders.
He noted that if the SC population increases in the upcoming 2026 census, the reservations would be adjusted accordingly.
In February, the Telangana Legislature accepted Justice Akther's recommendations on SC categorization, dismissing advice to exempt the creamy layer from reservations.
The Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservation) Bill, 2025 was passed last month, following a favorable Supreme Court verdict last year regarding categorization.