Why it is in the news
On 1 October 2026, a Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court — Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan — set aside G.O.Ms. No. 105 and G.O.Ms. No. 1065, which gave Backward Classes (BCs) 34% of seats in Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) and 33.33% in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), because total reservation would breach the 50% ceiling. The court directed the State and the State Election Commission (SEC) to begin the poll process preferably within six weeks from 1 October; the N. Chandrababu Naidu government has announced an appeal to the Supreme Court.
The exam angle
Issue: Reconciling demands for proportional BC representation in local bodies with the 50% aggregate cap and the evidence standard of the triple test.