#MarathaReservation: Bombay HC validates Maratha reservation, reduces quota to 12%-13%
Total Views |
Mumbai, Jun 27: Reservations is one of the most important social aspects in India. Maratha from Maharashtra is seeking the reservation as EWS. Now, concluding this long-standing issue, today Bombay High Court ratified reservation given to the Maratha community by the Maharashtra government.
But while upholding the reservation, the court also added that 16% reservation to the community is ‘not justifiable’. The court suggested to bring it down to reservation for Marathas in educational institutions to 12% and in government job appointments to 13%.
On November 30 last year, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill proposing 16% reservation for Marathas under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) category.
Following the decision, several petitions were filed challenging the decision. This increased the reservation in Maharashtra from 52% to 68%, far beyond the 50% cap set by the Supreme Court.
A division bench comprising Justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre started hearing all the petitions on February 6. The government defended its decision and argued that the reservation was only to bring up the Maratha community, which has been neglected for long.
The nine-member commission headed by Justice MG Gaikwad had said, "they considered multiple parameters before recommending reservation".
It took note of the Khatri Commission and Bapat Commission and stated, "The Khatri Commission had recommended inclusion of Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha in the list of Other Backward Classes as a sub-caste of Kunbi, but had not recommended inclusion of Marathas in the OBC list."