Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday upheld the reservation given by the state government to the Maratha community under the category of Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC). The court also upheld the Backward Caste Commission report, which categorised the community as economically and educationally backward. However, the court has directed the government to reduce the reservation percentage from 16 to 12-13 per cent.
A division bench of Justices R. More and B. Dangre while upholding the reservation, suggested that the percentage should be reduced as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission.
The court rejected the argument that the state government had no right to give reservation and create a separate class of people since it amounted to the violation of the newly-amended constitutional provision.
“We hold and declare that the state government possesses legislative competence to create a separate category of SEBC and grant reservation,” the bench said. “We conclude that the report submitted by the SBCC was based on quantifiable data and was correct in classifying the Maratha community as socially and educationally backward.”
