The Andhra Pradesh government filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court after the High Court quashed executive orders providing 34% Backward Class reservations in local bodies. State legal counsel is preparing an urgent mentioning request before a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant. The state argues that empirical survey material justifies exceeding the 50% reservation cap for rural local elections.

The Andhra Pradesh government argued in its petition that the 50% reservation limit established in earlier judicial precedents does not constitute an inflexible ceiling. State counsel noted that Supreme Court jurisprudence permits exceeding standard quota limits when comprehensive demographic data and empirical surveys justify enhanced representation for historically marginalized communities.

How Do Urban Differ From Rural Reservations?

The state government pointed out that applying the 34% Backward Classes quota pushes rural local body reservations to 61.08% overall. Conversely, total quotas across urban local bodies remain restricted to 49.24%, well within the conventional 50% cap. The petition criticizes the High Court for striking down both executive orders indiscriminately without accounting for these distinct structural variations.

The state government is requesting an immediate stay on the High Court verdict to protect its affirmative action framework prior to conducting local elections. By presenting empirical findings and judicial precedents, state authorities aim to uphold the 34% reservation policy and secure constitutional validity for upcoming municipal and panchayat polls.