Maratha quota: Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission likely to submit report to govt by 15 Nov

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission was likely to finalise its report on the socio-economic status of the Maratha community by 15 November. The commission would submit to the government its recommendations on whether the community should be granted reservation in state-aided educational institutions and workplaces, it said. The state’s counsel, senior advocate Ravi Kadam, informed a bench led by Justice RM Savant that the commission studied the data provided by various government departments, village panchayats and educational, social and legal bodies. [caption id=“attachment_4867271” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of people participating in a Maratha community protest march in Mumbai. PTI[/caption] It analysed such data for over 45,000 families belonging to the Maratha community, he said. The commission, set up by the Maharashtra government, is tasked with recommending to the state on whether or not the members of the Maratha community should be given any reservation. Kadam told the bench that the commission was currently in the process of reviewing its findings and it was likely to submit its final report with suggestions and recommendations to the state by 15 November. The high court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Maratha Kranti Morcha, one of the organisations spearheading the agitation over the demand for reservation to the community in jobs and education. The PIL also sought directions to the commission to expeditiously submit its recommendations to the state on the entitlement of such quota. The politically influential Marathas, who constitute around 30 percent of the state’s population, have been demanding 16 percent reservation in government jobs and education. The community had in July launched an agitation that had witnessed violence at several places in the state. Around eight people have committed suicide in the last two months, linking their extreme decision to the Maratha quota demand.