Maharashtra assembly passes Bill proposing 16% quota for Marathas

The Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday November, 29, unanimously passed a Bill proposing 16% reservation for Marathas under socially and educationally backward category.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who tabled the Bill, thanked Opposition members for helping in the passage of the Bill unanimously.

The Bill provides for reservation of seats for admission in educational institutions and posts in public services to the Marathas who have been declared as socially and educationally backward class of citizens.

The draft bill said the government felt 16 % t reservation to Marathas was "justified"

Earlier, Fadnavis also tabled the action taken report (ATR) on the State Backward Class Commission’s (SBCC) recommendations for reservation to the Maratha community in government jobs and education.

He also tabled the recommendations by the SBCC’s report on social, educational and financial status of the Maratha community.

Marathas have been declared as socially and educationally backward class of citizens (SEBC) and have inadequate representation in services under the state, the panel report said.

The Maratha Class of citizens has inadequate representation in the services under the State and having been declared socially and educationally backward class of citizens, they are entitled to reservation benefits and advantages enshrined in the Article 15 (4) (Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth) and 16 (4) (Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment) of the Indian Constitution

The panel had suggested that looking at exceptional circumstances and extra-ordinary situations generated on declaring Marathas as socially and educationally backward and their consequential entitlement to reservation benefits, the government may take appropriate decision within constitutional provision to address the emerging scenario in the state.

The Bill to provide for reservation of seats for admission in educational institutions and posts in public services in the state was tabled thereafter.

The Maratha community, which comprises over 30 % of the state’s population, had been seeking reservation in government jobs and education for a long time. Their stir for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.

With the approval of the quota, reservations in the state have surpassed the 50 % ceiling set by the Supreme Court for state governments and the Centre. At present, the total reservations in the state is 52%. The 16 % reservation approved for the Marathas will take the number to 68 %.

However it is worth noting that, the previous coalition government of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had granted 16% reservation to Marathas in jobs and education, but it was stayed by the Bombay High Court.

The Opposition Congress and the NCP had been demanding tabling of reports of the SBCC recommending quota for Marathas and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' report on reservation to the Dhangar (shepherd) community.

The Dhangar community had been pressing for reservation under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

The Maratha community, which constitutes over 30 per cent of the state's population, had been demanding quota for a long time and its agitation for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.