Maratha Community Receives 10% Reservation, But Loses EWS Quota in Maharashtra

A distinct 10 percent reservation for them was sanctioned by the Legislature in a special session on Tuesday, ensuring reservation in education and jobs. Now since they are in reservation category Maratha community will not receive the Economically Backward Classes (EWS) reservation from the central government in the state.

Individuals from the Maratha community who have already secured jobs or obtained educational admissions through the 10 percent EWS reservation will not be affected. Senior officials, speaking to Lokmat, clarified that there will be no sudden changes.

Minister Chandrakant Patil concluded with the statistics that out of 10 percent reservation of EWS, only eight and a half percent of the reservation benefited the Maratha community. Some Maratha leaders supported his stand. However, at the same time, Patil had to face criticism.

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Now the percentage is less than before

In the run-up to the 2014 assembly elections, the then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had given 16 percent reservation in education and jobs to the Maratha community in proportion to its population. When Devendra Fadnavis was Chief Minister, the High Court approved 13% reservation in education and 12% in jobs for the Maratha community. The Supreme Court rejected it during the Uddhav Thackeray government. Now the percentage of reservation has decreased by three and two percent respectively as compared to earlier. There will now be 10 percent reservation for both.

To maintain the reservation...

The population of Maratha community is 28 percent in the state. Those who can get Kunbi certificate and those with higher annual income were also excluded from this. After that, it was decided to give 10 percent reservation to the remaining component. Keeping in mind the previous experience that the reservation given in the name of caste does not hold up in the court, but the reservation given to a certain class does, the government took the stand that they are giving reservation to the Maratha community i.e. to the class.

Maratha Reservation Depends on Supreme Court

Even if the state government has given reservation to the Maratha community, its survival will depend entirely on the Supreme Court. The reservation given during Devendra Fadnavis was upheld in the High Court. But the Supreme Court overruled it. Now the reservation given on Tuesday will again go to the Supreme Court.

The state government will try to prove how the Maratha community is economically, socially, educationally backward. If the Supreme Court accepts the government's argument and seals the reservation, it will be a big relief for the Maratha community.