After Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray withdrew cases against people arrested while protesting at Aarey Colony in Mumbai, leaders now have started demanding withdrawl of cases registered in other agitations too. On Wednesday, NCP leader Dhananjay Munde and Chhattapati Sambhajiraje have demanded that cases against those associated with Maratha reservation agitation should also be withdrawn.
The Marathi Kranti Morcha had organised 56 marches for quota. Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 percent of the state's population, had been demanding 16 percent reservation. The community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation.
On 20 November, 2018, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill granting 16 percent reservation in education and government jobs for the Marathas, declared a socially and educationally backward class by the state government.
In June this year, the Bombay High Court upheld the constitutional validity of reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education. It, however, said the quota percentage should be reduced from 16 percent to 12 to 13 percent, as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission.
(Inputs from Sanjay Jog)
