No Extraordinary Circumstances To Exceed 50 Per Cent Ceiling Limit : SC Strikes Down Maratha Reservation Law
by Swarajya Staff - May 5, 2021 06:01 AM
Supreme Court of India (Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (5 May) struck down the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018 which extends reservation to the Maratha community in public education and employment.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan pronounced the verdict, which was reserved on 26 March. The Constitution bench had commenced the arguments in the matter on 15 March.
The Apex Court held that there were no extraordinary circumstances justifying the grant of reservation to Marathas in excess of 50 per cent ceiling limit.
Apex court strikes down Maharashtra law on grant of quota to Marathas
May 05, 2021
×
It also declined to revisit its 1992 Indira Sawhney judgment, which fixed the reservation limit at 50 per cent.
A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously declared a Maharashtra law that provides reservation benefits to the Maratha community, taking the quota limit in the State above 50 per cent unconstitutional.
The Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan found no “exceptional circumstances” or “extraordinary situation” in Maharashtra, which required the Maharashtra government to break the 50% ceiling limit to bestow quota benefits on the Maratha community.
The Supreme Court struck down the findings of Justice N.G. Gaikwad Commission which led to the enactment of the Maratha quota law and set aside the Bombay High Court judgment, which validated the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act of 2018.
Updated 2 hours ago Medical students from the Maratha community staging a protest in Mumbai in May 2019. | HT Photo
The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the Maharashtra government’s 2018 move to grant reservation to the Maratha community in admissions and government jobs in the state,
Bar and Bench reported. It declared a separate reservation for the community as unconstitutional, according to PTI.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions that challenged the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, saying it would breach the ceiling of 50% quota limit imposed by the Supreme Court itself in a landmark verdict in 1992.
Supreme Court declares Maratha quota law unconstitutional
Updated:
Updated:
May 09, 2021 00:56 IST
A separate reservation for the Maratha community violates Articles 14 (right to equality) 21 (due process of law), says the top court.
Share Article
A view of the Supreme Court of India. File
| Photo Credit:
V. Sudershan
A separate reservation for the Maratha community violates Articles 14 (right to equality) 21 (due process of law), says the top court.
A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously declared a Maharashtra law which provides reservation benefits to the Maratha community, taking the quota limit in the State in excess of 50%, as unconstitutional.