Telangana becomes first state to implement SC sub-categorisation Proud to have made history’

This comes months after a seven-judge Constitution Bench allowed further sub-classification of SCs and STs to ensure grant of quota to more backward castes inside these groups.

Telangana’s Congress government Monday issued a gazette notification that formally implemented Scheduled Caste sub-categorisation, popularly called reservation within reservation. According to the notification, Scheduled Castes in the state will be divided into three categories — Group I, II and III.

The Gazette notification, which implemented the Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservation) Act, 2025, shows that Group I will get 1 percent reservation within the 15 percent quota for SCs; Group II will get 9 percent reservation; and Group III will get 5 percent reservation. Group I consists of 15 socio-economically backward castes, Group II has 18 and Group III has 26 such castes.

With this, Telangana becomes first state to implement SC sub-categorisation. This comes months after a seven-judge Constitution Bench allowed further sub-classification of SCs and STs to ensure grant of quota to more backward castes inside these groups.

According to the Gazette notification, the Act received the governor’s assent on April 8. “The said assent is hereby published on April 14, 2025 in the Telangana Gazette for general information,” the gazette read.

From this moment (of the issue of the gazette) SC categorisation will be implemented in Telangana in employment and education. We have issued a Gazette and government order to this effect. The first copy of the gazette was given the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy,” Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was in-charge of overseeing the Cabinet sub-committee on SC sub-categorisation, said, adding: “If the population of SCs go up in the 2026 census, we will give reservation as per their population”.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy wrote on X, “Telangana is the first state in India to implement the revolutionary decision of SC sub-categorisation. We are all proud to have made history. On the highly auspicious day of the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar, the Telangana state government paid the best tribute by bringing into force a great act of social justice, addressing a long overdue demand for classification of SC sub-castes.

He further said: “Empowering and ensuring opportunities for all sections of Dalits, the state government issued a gazette notification, whose first copy was handed over to me today by the committee that undertook the historic work”.

The SC sub-categorisation was considered to be a difficult task for the Congress government because of strong opposition from Malas, a sub-caste among SCs who have been opposes to such subdivision. The Madigas of Telangana, however, have been agitating for 30 years demanding sub-categorisation of SCs.

On the day the Supreme court issued its judgment allowing sub-categorisaton of SCs and STs, Telangana Chief Min