Chandrakant Patil: Maratha reservation movement was cooled down & killed down by Thackeray govt

It is a failure of the state government that the Maratha reservation could not survive in the Supreme Court. In 2018, the then Devendra Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra had approved 16% reservation for the Marathas in jobs and education after statewide protests. While hearing petitions against the move in 2019, the Bombay High Court upheld the constitutional validity of the law, but stated that 16% reservation was not justifiable. It directed the state government to reduce the quota to 12%-13% as per the recommendations of the State Backward Classes Commission.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government has not been able to convince the Supreme Court why the Maratha community needs more than 50 per cent reservation. Because of this, I protest against the government, said Chandrakant Patil. Patil has said that the youth of the Maratha community should come together and ask the state government for an answer.

The Maratha reservation movement was cooled down and killed down. The Supreme Court did not keep the case pending, it just passed the vedict. This ended the hope of reservation. Fadnavis formed a backward commission, got consent in the assembly, got reservation in the high court. The current government created mess just like it has with the covid situation now. There was a lack of coordination, said Patil. Patil has alleged that Maha Vikas Aghadi government is in the forefront of repealing the law passed by Fadnavis.

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday has struck down the reservation for Maratha community in education/ jobs exceeding 50%.

A five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, L Nageswara Rao, S Abdul Nazeer, Hemant Gupta and Ravindra Bhat while pronouncing the judgment said that there was no valid ground to breach 50% reservation while granting Maratha reservation.

Justice Bhushan, reading out the judgment said, we do not find any reason in revisiting Indira Sawhney judgment. Justice Bhushan said that with respect to Article 342-A, we have upheld the Constitutional Amendment and it does not violate any Constitutional provision and therefore, we have dismissed the writ petition challenging the Maratha Reservation.

SC also made it clear in its judgement that people from the Maratha community cannot be declared as educationally and socially backward community to bring them within the reserved category