Assam agog over Maratha Reservation verdict

The regionalist forces in the state are agog as the Bombay High Court, upheld the reservation given to the Maratha community by the Maharashtra government.

Assam is also seeking similar reservation for the Indigenous people in the state which is long overdue for the indigenous communities who have played a major role in preserving the culture of the state but were neglected for a very long period of time.

The Maratha Reservation bill will take the cap of reservation in the state to 68% from 52%, 18% more than the limit set by the apex court of India.

However, the Court said the 16 percent quota granted to Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions is not justifiable and it should be reduced to 12% in educational institutions and 13% in government jobs in the state of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra legislative assembly had passed the bill which paved the way for this reservation for Marathas. Several petitions challenged the quota by the state government calling it a populist one and unconstitutional as it will take the cap of reservation in the state to 68%.