Maha govt challenges HC order saying no to EBC, Maratha quotas in PG courses

New Delhi, May 04: The Maharashtra Government on Saturday challenged the order by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay Court which had ruled out reservation for the Educationally Backward Classes and Marathas in some Post Graduate courses.

The Maharashtra Government reportedly filed a Special Leave Petitions before the Supreme Court today.

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court had held that the decision of implementing 16 percent Maratha quota to PG medical admission process this year as "arbitrary". The HC noted that the PG medical admission process had already commenced at the time when the quota came into force.

The division bench of honourable Justices Sunil Shukre and Pushpa Ganediwala had ruled in their order that the March 8 notification about the implementation of the new 16 percent reservation for the Maratha community, under the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) quota; shall not be applicable to the admission process, which had started earlier, reported PTI.

On November 30 last year, the Maharashtra Legislature had passed a bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs. In November last year, the Maharashtra assembly unanimously passed bill giving 16 per cent reservation for Maratha community in jobs and education. This was separate reservation from existing OBC and SC ST reservations already in place.