Even when the Supreme Court has convened the hearing on the Maharashtra government’s application on lifting the stay on the Maratha reservation on October 27, Rajya Sabha Member of the Parliament Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, on Sunday, said that he is currently examining the Constitutional provisions to understand whether the quota can be restored and its implementation can be ensured through an amendment. He said that he has already started exploring this option by studying the provisions of the Constitution.
Raje, who has been requested by practically all the parties to take a lead in the restoration of 12 per cent quota in education and 13 per cent in government jobs for the Maratha community, has sent three letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his appointment. He has not yet received any confirmation, but said he will seek the central government’s help for the same.
Raje, who visited the farms damaged due to heavy rain and floods in Solapur and Osmanabad districts, said the reservation was granted after the Maharashtra government passed the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, which was subsequently upheld by the Bombay High Court.
“The Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission found many evidences that brought out the backwardness of the Maratha community. The commission examined the social and economic conditions of the Maratha community and spoke in favour of it being given reservation. Thereafter, the state legislature enacted the law and it was upheld by the high court,” he noted.
Raje said if the quota is not restored then the central government’s intervention seems imminent. “I am studying the provisions of the Constitution to see whether an amendment will help sustain the implementation of the Maratha reservation in Maharashtra,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM) coordinator Vinod Patil, who is the respondent in the Maratha quota case, said the apex court will hear the matter on October 27. “I sincerely hope efforts will be made on that day to lift the interim stay on the Maratha quota granted by the SC,” he added.
