Can''t implement Maratha reservation with retrospective effect: SC

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai/New Delhi, July 12

The Supreme Court’s stay on the quota with retrospective effect has Maharashtra in a fix—sources say the state government will now have to consider their legal options.

The state government issued a notification for reservations under Social and Educational Backward Class (SEBC) from 2014 on Thursday. Under this, some 3,000 Marathas who cleared examinations for various state government jobs five years ago would have been issued appointment letters.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s government began recruitments in 2014. But with the Maratha quota being struck down, those hired under this category could not be made permanent employees.

“Those from the Maratha community who were hired on contract will now be made permanent. However contractual services of those hired under the general category may be terminated,” a state government official said.

After the stay on Maratha quota, the Maharashtra Government hired people on 11-month contracts, sources said.

The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government had first enacted an ordinance for 16 per cent reservation for Marathas before the state assembly elections in 2014, but it was stayed by the Bombay High Court.

Devendra Fadnavis’s government, which was elected in 2014, reintroduced reservations for the Marathas, this time under SEBC category. This passed the judicial scrutiny, although the original 16 per cent reservation had to be brought down to 13 per cent for government jobs and 12 per cent for educational institutions.

Meanwhile, sources say Maharashtra Government would soon announce a fresh recruitment drive to fill up vacancies in various offices. This process however will likely take a year to complete.