Maharashtra govt. forms committee to explore reservation for Marathas
The Hindu
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde sets up panel to submit report in a month on how to issue Kunbi certificates to Marathas from Marathwada. SC had declared Maratha reservation unconstitutional. Deputy CM apologises for police's use of force against protesters.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said his government has constituted a panel that will submit within a month its report telling how Marathas from the Marathwada region can be included in the OBC category and given the Kunbi caste certificate.
He said officials have also been told to study the Supreme Court order, which had declared the Maratha reservation unconstitutional.
The government’s move came three days after the agitation for the Maratha reservation turned violent as the authorities tried to shift activist Manoj Jarange, who was on a hunger strike over the issue in Jalna, to a hospital.
As the demand for the Maratha reservation gained momentum, Mr. Shinde told reporters, “A committee has been set up and asked to submit a report within a month on how to issue Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community from Marathwada.”
He said the State government has taken the issue seriously and was working to find an amicable solution to the issue.
“I have directed officials to study the Supreme Court verdict on the Maratha quota and recommend solutions. We need to establish that the Maratha community is backward,” the Chief Minister said referring to a 2021 apex court order that struck down the Maratha reservation.
On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra legislature had passed a Bill proposing 16% reservation in education and government jobs for the community. However, soon a bunch of petitions were filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the decision.
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