Lawyer opposing quota attacked outside court

Mumbai: A lawyer who had filed a PIL in the Bombay high court against the new legislation providing reservation to Maratha community in Maharashtra was attacked outside the court premises on Monday.

The incident took place when the petitioner, Gunratna Sadavarte, was briefing media outside the high court about the court proceedings. A man from Maratha community, who was in the crowd gathered outside the HC, came forward raising the slogan “Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha” in support of the reservation. He lunged at Mr Sadavarte and hit him.

Policemen and lawyers present at the spot immediately caught hold of the man and separated him from the crowd and det-ained him. The person has been identified as Vai-janath Patil from Jalna district. The Azad Maidan police subsequently arrested Patil, and probe was underway into incident, an officer said.

After the said ruckus petitioner, Mr Sadavarte went back before the division bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Makrand Karnik and informed them about the incident. He told the court that in last one week, he received several threat calls and that two unknown men were following him and his family. “This morning, I went to the local police and gave a complaint letter,” he said.

Further he told the court that Maratha leader Udayan Raje Bhosale also threatened him on the phone. Chief Justice Patil then directed state advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to look into the issue and arrange police protection for the lawyer if required.

Mr Sadavarte has filed PIL opposing the Maharashtra government’s decision to provide 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to the Maratha community in the state. The PIL claimed that the new law was in violation of the Supreme Court’s previous orders mandating that caste and community based reservation in the states should not exceed 50 per cent.

On Monday, another petitioner Sanjeet Shukla who has challenged the reservation on behalf of Youth for Equality, told the court that the decision was violative of the SC's previous orders mandating that caste and community based reservation in states should not exceed 50 per cent.

“The government cannot concentrate on one caste alone. The commission should have been asked by the government to look into all castes. Why only the Marathas?” said advocate Pradeep Sancheti who represented Mr Shukla.