‘Ready to call a special session’

MUMBAI: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said the state government is ready to send a delegation, along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Supreme Court’s order scrapping Maratha reservation. He said they may hold a one-day special session of the state Legislature if required.

Meanwhile, the cabinet subcommittee formed to take decisions related to reservation is likely to meet on Saturday where a decision over the next course of action may be taken.

“We are committed to provide justice to the Maratha community and for that, injustice will not be done to any other community. If required we will hold a special session of the state Legislature or pass a proposal in the monsoon session. We are also ready to send a delegation headed by the chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) to PM Modi along with leaders from the opposition party (BJP),” Pawar said in Pune on Friday.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the reservation to the Maratha community saying people from the community cannot 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. Marathas were given 12% and 13% quota in education and government jobs, respectively, under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018.

“We had given two days to legal teams and counsel to study and examine the 569-page order of the Supreme Court. Tomorrow, we will have point-wise discussions on the verdict, based on which a decision on the next step is likely to be taken,” said an official privy to the development.

According to legal experts, the state may go for enacting a new law by addressing the flaws pointed out by the SC, but this will take place only if the Centre takes the legal recourse to empower the state to do so.

HT FILE Ajit Pawar.