The cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday reviewed the preparations to defend the quota provided to the politically influential Maratha community during a hearing at the Supreme Court slated for July 7.
The apex court will hear a petition regarding the admission process for a postgraduate medical course and also the original petition for Maratha reservation.
Incidentally, the government counsel Mukul Rohatgi led the legal team was also present during today’s virtual meeting.
Chavan said, “The reservation for Maratha community has been passed unanimously in the state legislature. There is unanimity among all that the reservation should remain in place. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government is committed to providing reservations in jobs and education to Marathas and will defend its quota decision in the Supreme Court.’’ He informed that he briefed the Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje the government’s preparations to defend Maratha quota in the apex court.
The BJP led government through the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, granted a 16% reservation in government jobs and education to the community in November 2018. The Bombay High Court in June 2019 upheld the reservation but ruled that the quantum of 16% quota was not justifiable.
The high court held that the Act should not prescribe reservations exceeding the Justice Gaikwad led State Backward Classes Commission’s recommendation of 12% in education and 13% in jobs.
