After the Centre filed a review petition on Thursday challenging the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the 102nd Constitutional Amendment in the Maratha reservation case, the Maharashtra government has said it should also seek a review of the 50% reservation cap in the Indra Sawhney case.
“To continue reservations for all communities in different States, it is important to revisit the 50% reservation cap,” said Ashok Chavan, chairman of the State Cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation. “The government had put all its efforts to draw the Central government’s attention to this issue even before the Maratha reservation case began in the apex court.”
He said the 50% cap must be addressed along with the 102nd Constitutional Amendment. “The State had presented the stand that its rights must not be hampered by the amendment, but it was struck down by the majority verdict of the Supreme Court Bench. Now the Centre too has endorsed the State’s position, and we welcome this,” said the Minister. The Centre’s honest intention to ensure reservation for Marathas and others would be visible only if it pushed for a review of the reservation limit, he said.
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis said the State government should now file a petition for a review of the cap. “The Centre had clarified that despite the amendment, the State’s rights will remain intact. Now it has reiterated it by approaching the apex court. The State government should step forward and file the petition to remove the 50% cap,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, State BJP chief Chandrakant Patil demanded a ₹3,000 crore package for the Maratha community. He also demanded that the State government move the SC for a review, accusing it of shirking responsibility.
Meanwhile, Union Social Justice Minister Ramdas Athawale met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and demanded that the President and the Prime Minister intervene to grant a separate quota based on financial parameters to Marathas, Rajputs, Thakurs and other Kshatriya communities.
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(With PTI inputs)