Maharashtra: OBC Group Files PIL In Bombay HC Challenging Maharashtra Government's Maratha Quota Notification

In a significant development, the OBC Welfare Foundation (OWF) has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra government's draft notification that paves the way for Kunbi caste quotas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category for the Maratha community.

The move has intensified existing tensions, with the PIL asserting that the state government lacks the authority to define Maratha relatives eligible for reservation under the Kunbi category.

Historically identified as a “warrior” caste, the Marathas comprise mainly of peasants and landowning groups who make up almost a third of the population of Maharashtra.

The lead up to the present case can be traced back to June 2019, when the Bombay High Court had upheld the Maratha quota under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) Act.

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However, the court ruled that the 16 per cent quota under the Act was not “justifiable”, and reduced it to 12 per cent in education and 13 per cent in government jobs, as recommended by the State Backward Class Commission.

The HC also said that total reservations should not exceed 50 per cent, except in exceptional circumstances and extraordinary situations.

In May 2021, a five-judge Constitution Bench of supreme court headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan struck down the provisions of the Maharashtra law providing reservation to the Maratha community

As reported by Economic Times, the recent PIL challenges the legitimacy of identifying Marathas as Kunbis for the purpose of OBC quotas, sparking fear and anger among OBC groups in the state.

Also, recently, Manoj Jarange Patil, the 'activist' leading the Maratha quota movement, had called off the planned march to Mumbai after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's government accepted their demands.

Patil had expressed satisfaction with the government's response, stating that their requests had been acknowledged.

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