Latest news with #MaharashtraStateReservationforSociallyandEducationallyBackwardClassesAct
The Print
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Special HC bench to hear afresh plea against Maratha reservation from July 18
A special bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge, N J Jamadar and Sandeep Marne was constituted last month to hear and decide the public interest litigations and petitions related to the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2024. The interim order passed last year, whereby applications for admissions to educational institutions or jobs at government authorities taking benefit of the impugned Act will be subject to further orders in the present proceedings shall continue. Mumbai, Jun 11 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it would hear afresh the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the law providing Maratha reservation from July 18. The 2024 law, which provided 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community that constitutes nearly one-third of Maharashtra's population, had been at the forefront of political discourse last year during the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Last year, a full bench headed by former high court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya had commenced hearing into a bunch of petitions challenging the law on the ground that the Maratha community was not a backward one that requires benefits of reservation. The pleas also claimed that Maharashtra has already crossed the 50 per cent cap on reservation. However, the hearing came to a standstill after CJ Upadhyaya was transferred to Delhi High Court in January this year. On May 14, the Supreme Court directed the Bombay High Court to constitute a special bench and urgently hear the matter. In March last year, when the petitions against the reservation were filed, the HC in an interim order said that applications for NEET 2024 admission to undergraduate medical courses, wherein a 10 per cent reservation granted to members of the Maratha community is applicable, will be subject to further orders in the pleas challenging the law. On April 16, 2024, the full bench also clarified that till further orders, any applications for admissions to educational institutions or jobs at government authorities taking benefit of the impugned Act will be subject to further orders in the present proceedings. The SEBC Act was passed on February 20 last year. It was formulated by the then chief minister Eknath Shinde-led government based on a report of the retired Justice Sunil Shukre-led Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) that found 'exceptional circumstances and extraordinary situations exist' to grant reservation to Maratha community in excess of 50 per cent total reservation in the state. Thereafter, petitions also challenged Shukre's appointment as MSBCC chairperson. In December 2018, a batch of petitions were filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the earlier SEBC Act of 2018 that granted Marathas 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and education. In June 2018, the HC upheld the 2018 Act but reduced the quota to 12 per cent in education and 13 per cent in government jobs. This was challenged in the apex court, which in May 2021 struck down the entire Act. A review petition filed by the Maharashtra government was also rejected by the Supreme Court in May 2023. PTI SP NP This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC constitutes special bench to hear pleas challenging Maratha reservation
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Thursday constituted a three-judge bench to hear a batch of petitions challenging the 10% reservation granted to the Maratha community under the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2024. The bench will comprise justices Ravindra Ghuge, NJ Jamadar and Sandeep Marne. The move comes days after the Supreme Court asked the chief justice of the Bombay high court to expedite the hearing of these petitions due to their impact on thousands of students, particularly those appearing for the 2025 National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) postgraduate and undergraduate exams. According to a writ petition filed by students in the Supreme Court, the Bombay high court had heard their pleas and arguments had concluded in April last year, but the matter had not been listed since. Back then, the matter was last heard by a bench led by the chief justice of the Bombay high court at the time, DK Upadhyaya, but he was transferred to the Delhi high court in January 2025. The students argued that the delay in adjudicating the matter was adversely impacting their right to fair and equal consideration in the ongoing admission process. Several petitioners have challenged the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2024, which reintroduced a quota for the dominant Maratha community in government jobs and admissions to higher educational institutions, over and above existing reservations for other communities. The Act designated the Maratha community as a Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) and justified exceeding the Supreme Court-mandated 50% reservation ceiling by citing 'exceptional circumstances' such as economic distress. However, the petitioners argued that the Act was unconstitutional because a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court had in May 2021 struck down the law's predecessor—the Maharashtra Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018—which granted a 16% quota to Marathas. The bench had declared the Act unconstitutional, primarily for breaching the 50% reservation ceiling and for lacking sufficient evidence to justify the Maratha community's backwardness. The landmark 2021 judgement, delivered in the Jaishri Laxmanrao Patil vs Maharashtra chief minister case, influenced subsequent Maratha quota agitations and led to the state government introducing the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2024, which reintroduced a 10% quota for Marathas. The Bill was passed by the Maharashtra legislative assembly in February 2024, months before the Lok Sabha elections. After the law was challenged in the Bombay high court, a bench led by the then chief justice DK Upadhyaya had said in April 2024 that the applications for admissions to educational courses or recruitment to government jobs by availing the Maratha quota would be subject to further orders on petitions challenging the reservation.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
New full HC bench to hear petitions challenging Maratha reservation law
Mumbai: Two days after the Supreme Court directive, Bombay High Court constituted a new three-judge bench to hear petitions, including those filed as public interest litigation (PIL), challenging the constitutional validity of the 2024 law providing Maratha reservation. HC is hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the SEBC Act , which gives 10% reservation to the Marathas in public employment. HC notified the full bench formation. Justice Ravindra V Ghuge, Justice N J Jamadar and Justice Sandeep Marne comprise the new full bench constituted to hear and decide the PIL and civil writ petition(s) pertaining to "Challenge or Matters relating to the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2024," the HC registry informed on Thursday. Earlier, the full bench comprised former Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Justices G S Kulkarni and Firdosh P Pooniwalla. The petitions in the matter were not fully heard when the former Chief Justice of Bombay HC was transferred in Jan this year as the Chief Justice of Delhi HC. SC issued the direction while hearing a writ petition filed by NEET 2025 aspirants who challenged the implementation of the 10% Maratha quota, citing academic urgency and disruption in the admission process. — Swati Deshpande
