Maratha quota valid but should be reduced from 16 per cent: Bombay HC
Reservation for Marathas in Maharashtra government jobs and education institutes is constitutionally correct but should be reduced from 16 per cent to 12-13 per cent, said the Bombay High Court on Thursday. "We hold and declare that the state government possesses legislative competence to create a separate category of the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) and grant reservation," said a bench comprising Justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre. The court said the reservation should be reduced as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. The court was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging Maharashtra government's decision granting 16 per cent reservation to Marathas. On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill granting 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for the Marathas, declared a socially and educationally backward class by the state government. The reservation will be in addition to th