30-Year Struggle Vindicated: Justice Prevails in Supreme Court Verdict, Says Manda Krishna

Supreme Court Decision:

The Supreme Court has given the green light for the classification within the SC and ST categories. In a historic verdict, a seven-member constitutional bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud endorsed the classification of SCs. Vidadala Rajini, responding to the Supreme Court's decision, addressed the media in Delhi.

Vidadala Rajini's Response:

“We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision. It has been proven that justice always prevails. Many people have sacrificed their lives in this struggle. Justice has been served in the Supreme Court. We have been fighting for this victory for 30 years. Despite many challenges, our community has fought with determination. There were attempts to undermine our struggle for classification. We thank the judges who delivered this verdict. This decision will allow for 11% reservation for the Madiga community in Telangana and 7% in Andhra Pradesh. Classification should be immediately implemented in job notifications.

Similarly, educational institutions should also implement reservations in favor of classification. There were conspiracies to weaken the movement, and some people betrayed us. However, the entire society stood by the Madiga community. Many political parties and individuals supported us. We thank everyone who stood by us to uphold justice and righteousness. Special thanks to community leaders and the media. Justice has been served for the marginalized and poor communities. We are grateful to the Chief Justice and other judges. We also thank Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah, and Union Minister Kishan Reddy for their support. The Supreme Court's recent verdict should be implemented in education and job recruitments in the Telugu states. The governments have population data for SCs and STs, so it should also be implemented in the current job recruitments,” he said.

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's Response in Assembly:

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s verdict on classification, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said, “The previous government suspended Sampath Kumar for proposing a resolution in favor of the classification of Madiga and Mala sub-castes. On December 23, 2023, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka and Damodar Rajanarasimha sent the Advocate General to the Supreme Court. Legal experts argued the case before the Supreme Court. The Telangana government's efforts have borne fruit. We express our heartfelt gratitude for the Supreme Court's constitutional bench verdict. The Telangana government will decide to implement the ABCD classification in line with the Supreme Court verdict. Measures will be taken to implement reservations for Madiga and Mala sub-castes in the current job notifications as well. If necessary, an ordinance will be issued for this purpose."

KTR Welcomes SC Verdict:

“We welcome the Supreme Court’s verdict on SC classification. From the beginning, BRS has worked sincerely on this issue. We passed a resolution in the Assembly in favor of SC classification. Our party leader KCR, in his capacity as CM, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister supporting the classification.”

Harish Rao, Former Minister, on SC Verdict:

“Gratitude to the judges for delivering a great verdict. From the Telangana movement, BRS has been fighting for a permanent solution to the SC classification issue. As a movement leader, KCR demanded SC classification. After the formation of Telangana state, in the first Assembly session itself, the SC Classification Bill was unanimously passed and sent to the Centre. On May 16, 2016, KCR personally met with Prime Minister Modi and handed over a letter demanding SC classification. Now that the Supreme Court has given its verdict, the Telangana state government should take immediate steps in that direction and provide opportunities for the youth in education and employment.”

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