Keypoints:
- 10% reservation can also be availed by the candidates in direct service recruitment including admission to an educational institution.
- This decision comes after massive pressure build-up on the government of Maharashtra over the issue when SC scrapped down 13% reservation for Marathas.
On Monday, Maharashtra has allowed Marathas to avail the reservation under the Economically Weak Section (EWS) category to accommodate around 6,000 people from the community in government service, three weeks after the Supreme Court scrapped a separate quota for the Maratha community.
After the Supreme Court scrapped 13% reservation for Maratha Community, there was an immense pressure build-up on the government of Maharashtra.
On May 5 2021, the Supreme Court had strict down reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for Maratha Community which was brought in by Maharashtra government in 2018, saying that the 50% cap imposed earlier was exceeded.
Currently, 10% EWS quota in jobs and education is given to the sections of society which are not covered in any reservations.
The Government has said that Marathas with annual family income of less than Rs.8 lakh can avail the EWS quota which was set up in 2019.
According to the government resolution, a person fulfilling the criterion for EWS if comes from the castes not described as backward by the State laws, will be eligible for 10% reservation in educational institutes, barring minority institutes. It will also be applied for the state government recruitment. It also added that the said reservation will be above the existing reservation.
The Central government in 2019 had extended EWS reservation in education and jobs to economically weaker class with annual income less than ₹8 lakh.
After the verdict, opposition BJP had asked all its Maratha leaders to tour the State raising the issues and the State’s failure to ensure reservation. Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati has asked the State government to resolve the matter by June 6. He said he will announce his next step from Raigad Fort on that day which marks the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
