"Why would Supreme Court not reject this..." Prithviraj Chavan on Maratha Reservation Bill

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 20 (ANI): After the Maratha Reservation Bill was passed in both houses of the Maharashtra legislature unanimously, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday asked why the Supreme Court would not reject this bill as there's no difference between the previous and the current bill.
The Congress leader congratulated Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for their efforts.
"CM and Deputy CM's efforts to give Maratha reservation to Marathas were successful today. We congratulate them. We all wanted this bill to be passed we all were unanimous in this support. Except that we have apprehension that like in 2014 and 2018 this is exactly the same bill. What is different? Why should the Supreme Court not reject this law also?" he said.
He said that the only difference in the previous and current bill is that the Maratha community will no longer get the 10 per cent EWS reservation instead they will get 10 per cent state reservations.
"The government has not been able to assure us what precautions they have taken that this will not be rejected in the apex court or High court. We wanted to make our points thus a justice Dilip Ghosh Committee report has given such suggestions have they been taken care of? Also, another indirect benefit of this enactment is that the Maratha community will no longer get the 10 per cent EWS reservation which enables them to appear for the UPSC examination. now they will get 10 per cent state reservations," the Congress leader said.
Meanwhile, CM Shinde thanked the opposition and the ruling alliance leaders for supporting it and hoped the bill would also stand in the Supreme Court.
Both houses of the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed the Maratha Reservation Bill tabled on Tuesday, which intends to extend 10 per cent reservation to Marathas above the 50 per cent cap.
Referring to this, the Chief Minister said that under some exceptional circumstances, the government took the decision to pass the bill and he hopes that it will also stand legal scrutiny.
"Today is a day of happiness for the Maratha community. For quite a few years this was their demand and this government has decided on 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community. The data has been collected extensively. This reservation will also stand in court," he said.
"Under some exceptional circumstance, the government decided to pass the Maratha Reservation Bill. Many people have died by suicide for the sake of reservation. We will give the Maratha reservation without making any kind of change in the reservation of the Other Backward Caste (OBC) or any other community," CM Shinde said.
However, Manoj Jarange Patil, the activist who led the movement to provide caste-based reservations to Marathas and is on a hunger strike, welcomed the reservation bill introduced and passed in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, but contended that the reservation which has been proposed was not as per the community's demand.
"We need reservation which we deserve, give us reservation under OBC to those whose proof of being kunbi has been found and those who don't have proof of kunbi, for them pass a law of "Sage Soyare"," Patil said minutes after the Bill was passed unanimously by the Legislative Assembly.
He has called for a meeting of the Maratha community at 12 noon on Wednesday.
Jarange Patil is demanding one's blood relations should also be allowed to have Kunbi registration. Kunbi is a caste in Maharashtra under the OBC. Jarange Patil demanded that all people of the Maratha community be considered as Kunbi and be given reservations accordingly (under OBC Quota) but the government decided that only people having Nizam era documents of Kunbi certificates will get benefits under this.
"I appeal to all maximum people to reach Antarvali sarati for the meet ...I am firm on my demand to implement Sage Soyare...I welcome the reservation but the reservation given is not as per our demand," Patil said.
"The reservation given by government will benefit only 100 -150 people of Maratha, our people will remain deprived from reservation..Therefore I am demanding to implement "Sage Soyare" the next round of agitation will be announced tomorrow," he added. (ANI)