Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday submitted a letter to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to step in to ensure reservation for Maratha community. Mr. Thackeray also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention.
“A letter requesting the President to look into the matter of Maratha reservation in view of the Supreme Court verdict was given to Bhagat Singh Koshyari. We have also written to the Prime Minister and will soon be meeting him requesting the Centre’s intervention,” said Mr. Thackeray after his interaction with Mr. Koshyari.
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The Supreme Court on May 5, struck down the Maratha reservation saying the State has no authority to accord Socially and Economically Backward status to Maratha community after 102nd Constitutional Amendment.
The letter to Mr. Modi requested steps be taken earliest to grant reservation to Maratha community.
The letter, explaining the history of Maratha reservation laws and verdicts by the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court, said, “The majority (Supreme Court Bench) has held that, in view of aforesaid 102nd Constitutional Amendment, all the States are denuded of their power, authority and jurisdiction to identify any community that falls in the category of SEBC.”
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Mr. Thackeray’s letter maintained that Maharashtra is of the view that despite 102nd Constitutional Amendment, it continues to have power, authority and jurisdiction to identify Maratha community as the SEBC. “However, at this stage, such understanding of my State pales into insignificance, in view of the aforesaid authoritative pronouncement of law made by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” it said.
The letter said that as a consequence of the verdict, it is the President, i.e. the Union Government alone, which can identify and notify the Maratha community as SEBC. “This is therefore, to earnestly request you that appropriate steps be taken, albeit in accordance with law, declared by Hon’ble Supreme Court, to identify and declare Maratha community of my State as SEBC to enable them to claim the reservation in Education and Public Employment, at least to the extent of 12% and 13%, respectively,” it said.
Earlier, as announced by Ashok Chavan, Chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, an eight-member committee led by Dilip Bhosle, former Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court was formed on Tuesday, which will study the Supreme Court verdict on Maratha reservation. Based on this committee’s recommendations, decision on filing review petition will be taken. The committee also includes, Rafique Dada, senior lawyer from Bombay High Court, Darius Khambata, former advocate general of Maharashtra, Sudhir Thakre, retired IAS officer, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhupendra Gurav from the State’s Law and Justice department, Adv. Ashish Raje Gaikwad and B.Z. Sayed, joint secretary of the Law and Justice department will be the member-secretary of the committee.
