A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, struck down the Maratha reservation quota specifying that more than 50% of the ceiling limit is unconstitutional.
The court also said that there were no exceptional circumstances to grant reservation to Marathas above 50% of the ceiling limit.
SC's five-judge constitution bench unanimously hold that Maharashtra law granting quotas to Marathas breaches 50 percent ceiling
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 5, 2021
“Neither the Gaikwad commission nor the High Court has made out any situation for exceeding the ceiling of 50% reservation for Marathas. Therefore, we find there are no extraordinary circumstances for exceeding the ceiling”, Justice Ashok Bhushan reads out the judgment.
Justice Bhushan added that the amendment which holds the Marathas as socially & economically weaker & backward classes is to be struck down.
In addition to this, the amendment granting reservations to Marathas up to 13% is also outlawed, as per the judgment of the SC.
Well, the apex court also specified that the judgment won’t affect the students who have already been granted admission in the postgraduate medical courses till September 2020.
Actually, in 1992, there was a game-changer case popularly known as Indira Sawhney v/s Union of India. A bench of 9 judges passed a judgment that 50% has to be the limit for reservation in education and jobs across the country.
Again, in November 2018, the Maharashtra government led by Devendra Fadnavis passed legislation, according to which, the Maratha community was eligible to get a 16% reservation in jobs and higher education.
However, in June 2019, the Maharashtra High Court clarified that though the legislation (2018) was constitutional the percentage of the reservation has to be reduced to 12-13% from 16%.
Although, there was no response from the side of the state government.
In 2020, a few other petitioners filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the legislation granting reservation to Marathas.
In September 2020, a bench of 3 judges referred the matter to a larger constitutional bench. And on the 5th of May, 2021, the SC passes the ultimate judgment.
