Bombay High Court Refrains From Immediate Stay on Maratha Reservation, Directs State to Submit Affidavit

Following the state government's decision to provide 10 percent reservation in education and employment to the Maratha community, lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte and his wife, Adv. Jayashree Patil, approached the Bombay High Court. However, in today's hearing, the High Court declined to immediately suspend the Maratha reservation and instead directed the state government to submit an affidavit within the next two weeks regarding Sadavarte's petition.

The reservation bill for socially and educationally backward classes in the state had received unanimous approval during a recent special session. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had expressed confidence that the decision for a 10 percent reservation for the Maratha community would withstand legal scrutiny. Despite this, lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the government's decision. In today's hearing, the court provided relief to the state government by not immediately staying the Maratha reservation.

While the Bombay High Court did not grant an immediate stay on the Maratha reservation, it instructed the state government to submit an affidavit regarding the recruitment process under the reservation within two weeks. The court further mandated that Sadavarteen's petitioners respond to this affidavit within a week.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had cautioned the state government on Friday, indicating that the issuance of recruitment and educational certificates under the new Maratha reservation would be contingent upon the final decision of the court. The state government has already created 16,000 posts under the new Act.