Hyderabad: The Telangana high court has posted to June 12 the hearing on a batch of petitions seeking a direction to the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) to stick to 6% ST reservations in current Group-I recruitment instead of implementing GO 33 (issued in 2022) enhancing it to 10% in education and employment. The state was directed to file its counter by then.
TGPSC will be verifying certificates of short-listed candidates from April 16.
The HC, however, has already said that all Group-1 selections will be subject to the final judgment in this batch of petitions filed by P Shyam Sundar Reddy and several others.
Petitioners’ advocate, senior counsel Vedula Srinivas, pointed out that the state had enhanced ST quota to 10% without waiting for Presidential nod.
“Till the arrival of Centre’s approval, the state should stick to the old 6% reservations for STs,” he said.
Meanwhile, several ST associations have joined this legal battle by impleading themselves in this batch of pleas.
Representing former MLC Balu Naik, one such implead petitioner, counsel Chikkudu Prabhakar said the then BRS govt had conducted Samagra Kutumba Survey in the state in 2014 and arrived at 10% reservations for STs in education, employment and political spheres. He urged the court not to disturb the social justice effort of the state.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara ordered the govt to file its counter and posted the case to June 12.
