Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray annoyed over MPSC plea in SC on Maratha quota

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the state public service commission filing an intervention plea in the Supreme Court which goes against the stand taken by the government with regard to the Maratha quota implementation.

The issue figured in the weekly cabinet meeting where Thackeray, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and several ministers expressed their anger at the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) filing the application without consulting the government, sources said.

Thackeray has ordered a probe into the matter which he felt shows bureaucrats were trying to put the Shiv Sena-led MVA government in a spot over a sensitive matter, they said.

The application of MPSC came to notice on Wednesday when the quota case came up for hearing in the Supreme Court, the sources said.

The 2018 Maratha quota law is pending in the Supreme Court where its constitutional validity has been challenged.

As per the intervention application of MPSC, it wanted the apex court to permit revision of the final result and merit list of all recruitment process that concluded after November 30, 2018, when the Maratha quota law was enacted.

The commission has also sought permission to issue corrigendum to advertise.

The plea sought SC nod to file additional documents like the Government Resolution (GR) of December 23, 2020, where the benefit of economically weaker section (EWS) quota was given to Marathas provided they do not opt for reservation under the socially and educationally backward class (SEBC) category.

The sources said MPSC has been directed not to raise the issue of their application as its contents were contrary to the stand of the state government during the next hearing in the apex court.

Earlier in the day, the SC said it would decide on February 5 the schedule of hearing on the pleas pertaining to the 2018 Maharashtra law granting reservation to Marathas in education and jobs after the state government said a case of this nature be heard once physical hearing commences.

On December 9 last year, the apex court had said that issues pertaining to the quota law requires urgent hearing as the legislation has been stayed and the fruits accrued are not reaching to the people.

The apex court on September 9, while referring to a larger bench the batch of pleas challenging the validity of law, had stayed the implementation of the legislation but made it clear that status of those who have availed of the benefits would not be disturbed.

The Bombay High Court, while upholding the law in June 2019, had held that 16 per cent reservation was not justifiable and said that quota should not exceed 12 per cent in employment and 13 per cent in admissions.