Maratha Quota: Maharashtra government files plea in the apex court

Maratha Quota: Maharashtra government files plea in the apex court
Image source: Mumbai Mirror
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Keypoints:

  • Maharashtra government has filed a review petition before the Supreme court seeking reversal of the decision taken on May 5 to scrap the Maratha reservation.
  • In the review petition, the state raised three issues based on which the Supreme Court had struck down reservation of 12% in the education sector and 13% in government jobs.

On Tuesday, the state government of Maharashtra filed a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking reconsideration of the Maratha quota verdict given on May 5. The state has raised three issues based on which the Supreme Court had struck down reservation of 12% in the education sector and 13% in government jobs.

An official has said that the state had challenged the Supreme Court findings that the state had no rights to allow quotas after the 102 amendment made in the Constitution of India. For overall reservation in the state, the state cannot cross 50% reservation, also the Marathas are “dominant forward class and are in the mainstream of national life.”

A panel appointed by the state led by Justice MG Gaikwad report observed that the Marathas are educationally and socially backward.

Vinod Patil, who is one of the petitioners and a Maratha Kranti Morcha convenor has also filed a review petition in the Supreme Court urging them to reconsider the Maratha quota verdict.

On its ruling on May 5, the five judge bench of the apex court had struck down the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018, which had extended the 12% and 13% reservation to the Maratha Community in the education and employment sectors in excess of the ceiling limit of 50% fixed by Supreme Court earlier. It was also ruled by the bench that only extraordinary circumstances could justify the grant of reservation in the excess of 50% ceiling. In the petition, the state has pointed out many reasons depending on which they have requested the five judge bench to hear the case once more.

Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati who is the Rajya Sabha MP and is leading the protests, has tweeted that, “Today, Maharashtra government has filed for the review petition in context with the Maratha Reservation in the Supreme Court as per the primary demand raised by us.”