Not just job reservations: Maharashtra govt scraps education reservation for Muslims

Mumbai: While scrapping a five percent reservation for Muslims in government jobs that was struck down by the Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra state government has also axed a five percent reservation that had been provided for the community in educational institutions. An official government notification said that the ordinance, that was brought by the Congress-NCP government in July last year to try and woo the community, had lapsed and therefore the government resolution preceding it was also done away with. [caption id=“attachment_2136429” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] “An ordinance to this effect (providing a five percent job quota) lapsed on December 23 last year,” a Maharashtra government resolution said. “Considering this fact, the concerned government resolution issued on 24 July last year is being scrapped,” the government resolution said. However, as a result the reservation for the community in educational institutions was also done away with despite it having the Bombay High Court’s sanction. The community had five percent reservation in government schools. An Indian Express report points out that despite coming to power in the state the state government allowed the ordinance to lapse and chose not to extend it into an Act despite the fact that it would give Muslims seats in government-run schools. The report points out that on the day this happened, the Chief Minister held a meeting to discuss the development of minorities in the state. In June last year, Maharashtra’s earlier Congress-NCP government had approved a 16 percent reservation for Marathas and a five percent for Muslims just ahead of the 15 October Assembly polls, after the Congress was routed in the general elections. The quota was given through two separate categories, namely the Educationally and Socially Backward Category (ESBC) for Marathas as well as a Special Backward Class (Muslims) segment for the Muslims. On 14 November, 2014, the Bombay High Court had stayed implementation of the decision of the erstwhile Congress-NCP government to provide 16 percent reservations for Marathas in jobs and education, which was announced just ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls. The court had also stayed the Maharashtra state’s decision to provide a five percent job reservation to Muslims in government service, but it allowed quotas for them in educational institutions. The Maharashtra state government had challenged the Bombay High Court order in the Supreme Court, which refused to interfere with the interim decision of the High Court but asked the Maharashtra state government to go back to the Bombay High Court on the issue. with PTI inputs