Current Context: On April 14, 2025, Telangana became the first Indian state to implement Scheduled Castes (SC) sub-categorisation, under the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025.
About
- Objective: Ensure targeted benefits to the most disadvantaged groups within SCs.
- Act Passed: Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025
- Gazette Notification: April 14, 2025 (Ambedkar Jayanti)
- Legal Backing: Aligned with Supreme Court’s August 2024 verdict allowing SC/ST sub-classification for equitable reservation.
Sub-Categorisation Details
- SCs divided into 3 groups based on backwardness:
- Group I: 15 most backward sub-castes – 1% reservation
- Group II: 18 marginalised sub-castes – 9% reservation
- Group III: 26 relatively better-off sub-castes – 5% reservation