Maratha Reservation Bill Passed by Maharashtra State Cabinet

Devendra Fadnavis-led Cabinet in Maharashtra has just passed the Maratha Reservation Bill, Times Now has reported.

The bill pertaining to the Maratha reservation will likely be tabled during the Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly.

According to the report, Maharashtra will create a new category called SEBC (socially and economically backward) to provide reservation to Marathas in accordance with the recommendation of the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission, which submitted its report in the matter to Chief Secretary DK Jain on Thursday (15 November).

The report adds that Maharashtra government has taken the decision to create the new category for Marathas citing 'extraordinary circumstance' so that rights of neither Other Backward Classes (OBCs) nor Marathas are affected.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had hinted late last week that Maratha community would get the reservation in the government jobs and in admissions in academic institutions from December.

Addressing a rally in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, he had said, “We will complete all legal formalities in the month of November itself and the Maratha reservation will be announced soon. I request everyone to stop protesting and celebrate on December 1.”

The Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission had recommended a 16 per cent reservation for the Maratha community, stating that the community is socially and economically backward.

In September, the state government had informed the Bombay High Court that the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission was likely to submit its report on social and economic conditions of the Maratha community by 15 November.

The Maratha community, which accounts for 33 per cent of the state’s total population, has been agitating since 2017 demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

Also read: Maratha Reservation: Justice Gaikwad Commission Submits Report On Socio-Economic Status Of Marathas