Maratha quota issue | Maharashtra Minister Ashok Chavan seeks bigger Bench
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Mr. Chavan, who heads a sub-committee of the State Cabinet on the issue, stated the landmark Indira Sawhney case of 1993 was heard by a nine-member Bench.
Seeking {that a} nine-member Bench of the Supreme Court ought to hear the Maratha quota issue, Maharashtra Minister Ashok Chavan on Friday stated the prevailing 50% cap on reservations must be reconsidered.
Mr. Chavan, who heads a sub-committee of the State Cabinet on the issue, stated the landmark Indira Sawhney case of 1993 was heard by a nine-member Bench.
“Maratha quota issue should not be linked to the Indira Sawhney case in which the Supreme Court ruled that reservations should not exceed 50%. This decision should be reconsidered. The Maratha quota case is being heard by a five-member Bench, which cannot overrule the verdict of a nine-member Bench,” the Congress chief informed reporters.
Besides capping total reservations, the Supreme Court in Indira Sawhney vs Union of India additionally laid down that financial backwardness alone can’t be a criterion for quota.
The apex courtroom has stayed the 16% quota for Marathas in training and jobs in Maharashtra. If the quota comes into impact, the entire reservation within the State will exceed 50%.
Mr. Chavan, a senior Congress chief, additionally demanded that as within the case of reservations in Tamil Nadu (which exceeded 50%), the Union authorities ought to intervene and provides “constitutional protection” to the Maratha quota.
“If the Maratha quota is upheld, the issue of reservation in several other States will be resolved,” Mr. Chavan stated. He will request Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to put in writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue, he added.
As the listening to within the Supreme Court will start from January 25, the Cabinet sub-committee will maintain a gathering with the State’s authorized workforce in Delhi on January 11, he stated.
On the issue of ally Shiv Sena’s demand to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar, Mr. Chavan stated it must be mentioned by the coordination committee of the coalition.
“All parties have different views on the issue. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister, he had said Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya) was his government’s priority but we (the BJP) don’t have majority (and therefore can not pursue the matter),” the Congress chief stated.
