Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra government and other people who have filed petitions in the high court on the issue of 16% reservation to the Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions, to submit their written arguments
Maratha community people during their "Maratha Karnti Morcha" protest demanding reservation, and justice for Kopardi rape victim in Dhuleon Wednesday. Pic/PTI
Bombay High Court on Friday directed Maharashtra government and other people who have filed petitions in the high court on the issue of 16% reservation to the Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions, to submit their written arguments. A division bench of Justices Anoop Mohta and G S Kulkarni directed all the parties concerned to submit their written arguments by October 13, after which the court will fix a date for final hearing in the matter.
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A bunch of public interest litigations (PIL) and petitions have been filed in the high court challenging the 16% Maratha reservation decision. One of the petitioners, Ketan Tirodkar, in his plea contended that the decision to term the Maratha community as socially and educationally backward is a 'fraud' committed upon the country and its Constitution. In November 2014, the high court had stayed implementation of the controversial decision of the erstwhile Congress-NCP government.
The court had while staying the 16% Maratha reservation held that the Supreme Court had already laid down the law for reservation which cannot exceed 50% of the total seats. In Maharashtra, 52% seats in government jobs and educational institutions were already reserved for various backward groups and by introducing the 16% Maratha and 5% Muslim reservation, it raised to 73%. The high court had also held that the Maratha community cannot be regarded as Backward Class and that the National Commission for Backward Class and Mandal Commission had concluded that the Maratha community is socially advanced.
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