Bombay HC seeks written arguments from petitioners on reservation to Marathas

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.