Maratha quota: Bombay HC likely to take up plea against Fadnavis government's decision

Maratha community, Maratha quota — Image Source : PTI
The Maratha community had held protests across the state earlier this year demanding quota in jobs and educational institutions. (File Photo)

Bombay High Court is expected to hear a petition against the Maharashtra government's decision to provide reservations to the Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions. The plea, filed by a Pune-based activist, is likely to be mentioned before a division bench.

The bench led by Justice BP Dharmadhikari is scheduled to hear a bunch of petitions filed in the past on the Maratha quota issue.

In his plea, Hemant Patil stated that the state already provides 52 per cent reservation for various caste groups and communities. Patil contended that if the current government provides 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community, the state will be in breach of a previous Supreme Court judgement that prescribes an upper limit of 50 per cent for caste-based reservations provided by state governments.

He sought that the state government be restrained from implementing its decision on providing such quota at least till the high court takes a final decision on the pending petitions.

Several petitions were filed in the Bombay High Court between 2014 and 2015 after the previous Congress-NCP government granted 16 per cent quota in government jobs and educational institutions to the Maratha community.

While some of these petitions opposed the government's decision, two pleas had sought immediate implementation of the quota.

In November 2014, in an interim order, a division bench of the Bombay High Court had stayed the then government's decision to provide 16 per cent quota on the ground that it was in breach of the Supreme Court's 50 per cent upper limit order.