SC to hear Maratha quota plea today

The Supreme Court will today hear a plea alleging that petitions challenging the Maharashtra Government's decision to grant 16 percent quota to Marathas in jobs and education in the state were still pending adjudication.

The apex court, while disposing off an appeal against the order, had earlier asked the Bombay High Court to expeditiously decide the issue.

The Bombay High Court, in an interim order, had stayed the decision after faulting the data used by the state to back its assertion that the Maratha community was backward.

It had also put on hold the five percent quota in public employment under a special backward class category to about 50 sub-castes among Muslims.

The Bombay High Court, however, had not disturbed a similar benefit for the backward Muslims in state-owned or aided educational institutions.

The decision to grant reservation to Marathas and Muslims was taken by the erstwhile Congress-NCP government before the 2014 assembly elections.