After Telangana, Andhra assembly adopts SC sub-categorisation

The Andhra Pradesh state legislature on Thursday adopted a unanimous resolution endorsing the report submitted by a one-man commission headed by retired IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan Mishra on sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes for extending reservations in education and employment.

Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Bill, 2025 was introduced on Tuesday and was passed on Wednesday.

While chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu introduced the resolution in the assembly on Thursday, state home minister Vangalapudi Anitha moved the same in the legislative council. The resolutions were adopted unanimously by voice vote in both the Houses. They would be sent to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes for ratification.

Speaking on the resolution in the assembly, the chief minister said on November 15 last year the state government appointed retired IAS officer Rajeev Ranjan Mishra to lead a one-member commission on SC classification. The commission conducted surveys in 13 districts and submitted a comprehensive report on March 10, 2025, recommending the division of 59 SC sub-castes into three categories for extending existing 15% reservations.

Group-1 comprises most backward Relli sub-castes which would be provided with 1% reservation; Group-2 comprises backward Madiga sub-castes who would get 6.5% reservations and Group-3 comprising relatively less backward Mala sub-castes, who would get 7.5% reservation.

“As per the roster system, if 100 posts were available, eight would be allocated to the Mala community, 6% to Madigas, and 1% to Rellis, making up a total of 15%. If 200 posts were available, the distribution would be 15 to Malas, 13 to Madigas, and 2 to Rellis, ensuring fair representation,” Naidu said.

The resolution passed in the both the Houses also sought to include the Budaga Jangam community in the Relli sub-category of the SCs. This would also be forwarded to the central government for approval.

The chief minister said the sub-categorisation of SCs was done based on the 2011 census, considering the state as a unit. After the national census is conducted in 2026, the government would explore implementing classification with districts as the unit, he said.

Naidu said the sub-categorisation of SCs for reservations was one of the election promises of the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition. It was done in accordance with the Supreme Court’s ruling to ensure justice among SC sub-castes.

He expressed satisfaction that the long-pending issue, which had been under discussion since he first took charge as chief minister in 1995, was finally implemented during his tenure. He recalled that his government had first appointed Justice Ramachandra Rao Commission on September 10, 1996 on sub-categorisation of SCs.

After conducting an extensive study across the state, the commission submitted its report on May 28, 1997. To eliminate social inequalities and poverty, the government issued an order on June 6, 1997, categorizing SC reservations into A, B, C, and D groups. “With the approval of then-President KR Narayanan, the classification came into effect on November 30, 1999. This led to over 22,000 job opportunities for the Madiga and other sub-castes. However, the matter was challenged in court, and on November 5, 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that only Parliament had the authority to implement classification,” he said.

Later, the Usha Mehra Commission, appointed by the then-central government, highlighted the positive impact of the classification between 2000 and 2004. In August last year, a seven-judge Supreme Court bench led by Justice Chandrachud delivered a verdict in favour of SC reservation classification, he pointed out.