Maharashtra Cabinet approves reservation for Marathas; Devendra Fadnavis says state unsure of recommended 16% quota

Giving into a long-standing demand of the Marathas, the Maharashtra Cabinet on Sunday approved a recommendation to give reservation to the community in government jobs and educational institutes. [caption id=“attachment_5572821” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Devendra Fadnavis interacting with the media on Sunday. Image courtesy: Twitter/@CMOMaharashtra[/caption] In a report submitted to the state cabinet on Thursday, the Maharashtra Backward Class Commission had recommended giving the Maratha community 16 percent reservation, but CNN-News18 quoted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as saying that the state government has yet to decide whether the quantum of quota will be 16 percent. This comes days after Fadnavis said people should “prepare to celebrate” on 1 December, and that the panel had submitted its report. PTI quoted a government source as saying that the commission had made favourable recommendations on the demands of the Maratha community for reservation in government jobs and educational institutes, without disturbing the quota granted to Other Backward Classes (OBC).

On 25 June, 2014, months before the Maharashtra Assembly polls, the then Congress-NCP government under then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had announced 16 percent reservation for Marathas and 5 percent quota for Muslims. However, on 14 November, 2014, the Bombay High Court had stayed the government’s decision, and four days later, the Supreme Court had declined to vacate the high court stay. With inputs from agencies