Hyderabad: Mala community representatives announced that they would a public meeting, ‘Malala Simha Garjana,’ at Parade Ground in Secunderabad on December 1 against sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes.
Speaking ahead of the event, Mala leaders criticised what they called "false propaganda" suggesting that the Mala community disproportionately benefited from SC reservations in education and employment. They argued that such claims are unfounded and sought to highlight the broader realities faced by all SC sub-castes.
The meeting is being organised under the leadership of Congress MLA Gaddam Vivekanand, who has strongly opposed SC sub-categorisation. Addressing the media on Friday, Vivekanand said the population of the Mala community in Telangana was at around 30 lakh, and urged them to raise their voices against SC sub-categorisation.
He argued that the Supreme Court's verdict on SC sub-categorisation under Article 341 of the Constitution was not only unfavourable to Malas but also to other sub-castes within the SC category, including Madigas. Vivekanand alleged that attempts to divide Dalits under the guise of sub-categorisation were being driven by vested interests and appealed to the community to resist such efforts.
Meanwhile, a one-man judicial commission led by retired Telangana High Court judge Justice Shameem Akhtar, constituted by the state government to examining the issue of SC sub-categorisation, has directed government departments and corporations to submit data on SC employees, spanning from 2000, by December 10. This data will be used to assess the distribution of reservation benefits across SC sub-castes.
Justice Akhtar, who assumed charge on November 11, is expected to submit his findings by January 10. The commission will conduct public hearings in the districts starting December 4.
