Panel discusses Maha govt's strategy to be adopted in final SC hearing on Maratha quota

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 22 (ANI): Maharashtra Minister Ashok Chavan on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the state cabinet's subcommittee on Maratha reservation and discussed the strategy of the state government to be adopted in the final hearing of the matter before the Supreme Court starting from January 25.
The Supreme Court had on December 9 posted for January 25, 2021, the hearing of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of a Maharashtra law that grants reservation to the Maratha community in education and jobs.
While hearing petitions challenging the Bombay High Court decision, the Supreme Court, had in September this year, directed that no quota will be granted to people of the Maratha community in education and jobs in the state this year. Later, the Maharashtra government had moved the apex court seeking vacation of its stay on the Maharashtra law granting Maratha reservation in education and jobs.
The Bombay High Court had on June 27, 2019, observed that the 50 per cent cap on total reservations imposed by the Supreme Court could be exceeded in exceptional circumstances.
An appeal filed in the Supreme Court by advocate Sanjeet Shukla, a representative of Youth for Equality, said the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018, enacted to grant reservation to the Maratha community people in jobs and education, breached the 50 per cent ceiling on reservation fixed by the top court in its judgment in the Indira Sawhney case. (ANI)