Maratha leaders voice discontent over panel

MUMBAI: Maratha organisations on Sunday said that they are not satisfied with the state government’s decision to form a committee under two retired judges of the high court to review the Supreme Court verdict quashing reservation to the community, adding that this exercise was expected when the reservation was challenged in the apex court.

The SC quashed the reservation to the Maratha community saying people from the community can’t be declared educationally and socially backward just to bring them in the reserved category. The five-judge bench also refused to refer the 1992 Indra Sawhney judgment, setting a 50% cap on reservation to a larger bench for reconsideration.

Virendra Pawar, one of the convenors from Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM) said, “It [formation of the committee] was expected when the legal battle for reservation was going on in the apex court. We had suggested names such as Dr Sadanand More (scholar), BG Kolse Patil (retired high court justice) and PB Sawant (retired Supreme court judge) to the government requesting them to use their expertise by appointing them as advisers but our suggestions were overlooked.”“If the state government is really serious about granting reservation to the Maratha community they should consider incorporating us in the OBC quota,” he added.

Sanjiv Bhor Patil, president, Shiv Prahar Sangathana said the state is just passing the time. “We have lost our reservation quota so now whatever is required to get it back, should be done at the earliest. We would have hit the streets by now but not doing so because of the pandemic. We want the government not to waste the time anymore.”

However, a few Maratha leaders termed the constitution of the expert committee as a “positive development”. Mansing Pawar, one of the convenors of the MKM said, “It [the move] is definitely a positive development as only two authorities in the country — the SC and President — can provide us reservation. Individual petitioners are also preparing grounds to go for a review but the petition by the state government will make a difference...”

The state on Saturday decided to constitute a committee under two retired HC judges to review the recent apex court verdict and suggest the next course of action. The committee is expected to submit its report in two weeks.