Mumbai: PIL filed in Bombay High Court against grant of 10 pc Maratha quota

A public interest litigation PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court on Friday challenging the Maharashtra governments decision to grant 10 per cent quota in jobs and education to the Maratha communityThe PIL filed by advocate Jaishri Patil and others said such a decision was taken by the government and opposition for the sake of dirty politics and termed the move as destruction of the basic structure of the ConstitutionThe decision was taken jointly by the state government and opposition without following the rules of fair play and due process and is a politically motivated one to take reservations beyond 50 per cent without any extraordinary circumstance the petition claimedThe plea claimed everyone was supporting reservation but no one had any sympathy that the opengeneral seats remain only 38 per centThe Maharashtra legislature on February 20 unanimously passed the Maharashtra State Socially and Educationally Backward Bill 2024 providing 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs It was tabled in the Assembly during a special oneday session by Chief Minister Eknath ShindeThe petition by Jaishri Patil urged the HC to quash the legislation since it would take the reservation limit to 72 per cent adding that reservation becoming majoritarian was destruction of the basic structure of the ConstitutionIt urged HC to declare the Maharashtra governments decision as unconstitutional as the 50 per cent limit on reservation has been breached without considering Supreme Court guidelinesThe petition is expected to be heard in the coming daysMeanwhile Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Friday protested the ongoing curfew at his village Antarwali Sarati in Maharashtras Latur district calling it injusticeNo violence has been reported from the village or the surrounding area he told reporters at a hospital here where he was under treatment after ending his hunger strike over the demand of reservation for the Marathas last monthHe was discharged from the hospital later in the day and left for his villageIf the curfew continued at Antarwali Sarati after the code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls comes into effect it should be applicable to the election campaign of political parties They too should not be allowed to hold meetings the activist told reportersPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should see that their home minister in the state is doing injustice he said referring to deputy Chief Minister Devendra FadnavisHe also took a swipe at Maratha leaders in the Shiv SenaBJPNCP government in the state for getting riled because of his criticism of Fadnavis So they progress because of the Maratha community and then they side with their leader The community should watch the developments in the state quietly for the next one week he saidA delegation of the local BJP women wing met him earlier in the day and gifted him a copy of the Constitution he saidThe women said people supporters of the quota agitation post objectionable posts about them I strongly object to such posts I respect women I will support these women as fellow human beings But they should not come with their party identity Jarange added With inputs from PTI