Maratha Reservation: Cabinet sub-committee gears up ahead of July 7 hearing in SC

Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Ashok Chavan held a meeting via video conferencing to discuss the state’s preparedness to defend the Marathi reservation in the Supreme Court. 

The cabinet sub-committee appointed by the Maharashtra government held a meeting recently with senior counsels to discuss the issues of Marathi quota ahead of the Supreme Court hearing which is scheduled to be held on July 7. 

Mukul Rohtagi, former Attorney General of India, has been appointed by the Maharashtra government for the case. He was also present at the meeting of cabinet sub-committee. 

Chavan, who heads the cabinet sub-committee, said that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sambhaji Raje has been briefed about the discussion in the meeting regarding Maratha quota. 

The Maratha reservation bill has been passed in the Maharashtra Legislature unanimously and the state government will defend its stand in the apex court, Chavan said.

During the fifth meeting of the committee earlier, Chavan had asserted that the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will defend the reservation quota provided to the Maratha community.

On June 27 last year, in its final hearing for all petitions related to Maratha reservation, Bombay High Court upheld the Maharashtra government’s decision to provide reservation to Maratha community in education and government jobs.

Supreme Court had earlier refused to stay the Bombay HC order upholding the law providing reservation to Maratha community. However, it decided to examine the constitutional validity of the law. 

On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra legislative assembly passed the Maratha reservation bill providing 16 per cent reservation to Maratha community in education and government jobs under Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) category. 

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