Maratha Reservation: Supreme Court to Pass Interim Order on July 15 on Petitions Challenging Quota
Petitioners moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay HC decision to permit quota for the Maratha community under the SEBC Act. Their argument is that the reservation is unconstitutional as the state has breached the 50 percent cap on reservation fixed by a Constitution Bench in the Indira Sawhney judgment.
New Delhi, July 7: The Supreme Court, while hearing the petitions challenging a grant of up to 13 percent reservation for Maratha community in Maharashtra, decided to post the matter for July 15. The bench would, on next Wednesday, pass an interim order in case while continuing the proceedings to arrive at a final verdict.
The Maharashtra government had, in 2018, passed a law to grant 16 percent to Maratha community in educational institutes and government jobs. The same was reduced to 12 and 13 percent respectively by the Bombay High Court in an order last year. Maratha Caste Certificate For Reservation: How to Apply For Caste Certificate Online; Forms and Documents Required – Check Here.
Petitioners moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay HC decision to permit quota for the Maratha community under the SEBC Act. Their argument is that the reservation is unconstitutional as the state has breached the 50 percent cap on reservation fixed by a Constitution Bench in the Indira Sawhney judgment.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice J L Nageswara Rao will pronounce the interim order and hear the matter from next week. The court indicated that it may consider day-to-day hearings to arrive at a final judgment at the earliest.
The parties involved in the case were asked to file written submissions and time each will take to argue. "Hold a conference and decide how much time each lawyer will take. There should not be any repetition of submissions," Justice Rao was reported as saying.
Interim Orders on Next Wednesday
Senior advocate Shyam Dhavan, appearing for one of the petitioners, reportedly asked the court to convene a five-judge bench to hear the matter in an open courtroom. The bench, however, cited the COVID-19 restrictions behind not being able to comply with his request. The case would be heard by a three-member bench beginning from July 15.
The Maharashtra government would be represented by senior lawyer and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi. The state has formed a sub-committee to monitor the case and gear up its efforts to defend the quota law in the Supreme Court.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 07, 2020 01:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).