Marathas will have to wait for reservation: Govt to HC

The ‘eager’ Maratha community have no other option but to wait for the Maharashtra government’s judicial commission to ‘apply its mind’ and submit its report before the Bombay High Court. This comes after the government informed the HC that the Commission would be provided with the ‘voluminous’ data of Maratha community only by July 31.

A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Anuja Prabhudesai was informed that five different firms have been deployed by the government to collect data on the Maratha community. This data, as per the government, is being collected to substantiate its claim that Maratha community is one of the most ‘socially and economically’ backward communities in Maharashtra.

Special counsel Ravi Kadam, representing the government, said since the data is voluminous, the firms would probably finish collecting it by July 31.

Having heard the submissions, Justice More said, “We understand the data is voluminous but you must try to expedite the process. People are waiting for the outcome of these litigations.” The government clarified that the process could not be expedited but it would try to do so.

The bench was hearing a plea filed by a citizen, Vinod Patil, in December 2017. The plea sought urgent hearing and disposal of the reservation matter pending before the HC so that the students from Maratha community could benefit from the proposed reservation.

The government, through a notification, had constituted the eight-member State Backward Class Commission on January 4, 2017. This panel was to look into the voluminous data placed by the government in its affidavit to support its decision of granting 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community.

The HC had, in March last year, said it would hear the petitions for and against the reservation decision, only after the commission had submitted its report.