Mumbai: Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing slated for December 9 on its application to vacate interim stay granted on 12% quota in education and 13% in government jobs for the Maratha community, the Maharashtra government on Saturday has formed a coordination committee comprising five advocates to collect suggestions from parties, pro-Maratha quota organisations and social organisations that can be used during the proposed hearing. This was announced by the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha quota chairman Ashok Chavan.
“Citizens, coordinators, experts and organisations of the Maratha community can contact and make suggestions to the five member coordination committee. The committee will study the suggestions and give inputs to the lawyers representing the state government before the five member bench in the apex court,’’ said Chavan. He informed the coordination committee consisting of advocate Ashish Gaikwad, advocate Rajesh Tekale, advocate Ramesh Dube-Patil, advocate Anil Golegaonkar and advocate Abhijeet Patil.
The state government on November 18 had made four applications in the apex court and prayed for the formation of a Constitution Bench to vacate interim stay granted on Maratha quota in September. Earlier, the government filed a petition on September 20 to challenge the interim stay. Thereafter, the government moved first application on October 7, second on October 28 and third on November 2 for transferring the Maratha quota case to the five member Constitution Bench.
The state government emphasised the need to refer the Maratha reservation granted under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018 to the Constitution Bench as there has been a common thread in petitions filed against Maratha quota, also against reservations in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
