Supreme Court upholds Andhra Pradesh High Court order quashing 34% Backward Classes quota in local bodies

Key facts

• The Supreme Court dismissed Andhra Pradesh's appeal against the high court verdict setting aside 34% reservation for Backward Classes in local bodies, holding there was a lack of empirical data to justify reservation beyond the 50% ceiling.
• A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu rejected the state's claim that its decision was backed by demographic and empirical material, including a unified family survey estimating Backward Classes population at 50.42% statewide.
• In March 2020, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had struck down the then government's law providing 34% Backward Classes reservation as the combined SC, ST and Backward Classes reservation would reach 59.85%, exceeding the 50% ceiling.
• In August 2026, the state issued government orders providing 34% Backward Classes reservation in rural local bodies and 33.33% in urban local bodies, which the high court set aside on October 1 to the extent aggregate vertical reservation exceeded 50%.
• The high court relied on the Supreme Court's ruling in Vikas Kishanrao Gawali Vs State of Maharashtra (2021) mandating a rigorous, data-driven empirical inquiry into backwardness for local body reservations.
• The high court noted an independent dedicated commission headed by a former bureaucrat submitted its report on August 14, 2026, but it remained under consideration and had not been accepted by the state government.
• The high court clarified the state could revisit a higher Backward Classes quota after completing the required data-gathering exercise in line with Supreme Court judgments.