Maharashtra to set up committee to study Supreme Court order on Maratha quota

The Maharashtra government will set up a committee under a retired judge to study the Supreme Court order striking down reservations for the Maratha community, state minister Ashok Chavan said on Saturday.

The apex court on May 4 struck down the Maharashtra law granting quota to Marathas in admissions and government jobs, terming the statute as "unconstitutional", and also refused to refer the 1992 Mandal judgement, setting a 50 per cent cap on reservation, to a larger bench for reconsideration.

Speaking to reporters, Chavan, who heads the state government's sub committee on Maratha reservation, said the panel will study the judgement, which runs into over 500 pages, in detail and then submit a report in 15 days, after which a decision on filing a review petition will be taken by the state government.

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He also said Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte will take stock of the pending Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) recruitment process in every department, adding that the SC had upheld recruitments till September 9, 2020.

"The entire process comprises selection comprises selection and recruitment. The CS will review this process. The state is positively considering giving justice to SEBC candidates affected by the court decision, and the future course of action will be based on the CS report," he added.

Chavan said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on this issue, and ask the Centre to provide quota to the community if the state does not have the right to do so.

Meanwhile, state home minister Dilip Walse Patil urged the Maratha community to exercise restraint, asking it to not do anything that would put the police in further stress amid the coronavirus outbreak.

State minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said the MVA government was committed to reservations for the Maratha community.