Plea challenging 32 per cent OBC quota filed in court

Mumbai: After filing petitions challenging the 16 per cent reservation granted to the Maratha community by the state government, another petition has been filed in the Bombay high court challenging the 32 per cent reservation granted to other backward classes (OBCs).

The petitioner stated that 32 per cent reservation is huge and needs to be cut down. A division bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice Makrand Karnik has kept the petition for further hearing on January 9.

Petitioner Balasaheb Sarate said in his petition that while giving 32 per cent reservation to the OBC community, no study or survey had been conducted by the state government, so how could OBC reservation be justified.

The petition urged the  court to direct the state government to conduct the survey through the state backward class commission about the social and economic backwardness of the OBC community. The petition also raised objection that OBCs comprised 32 to 34 per cent of the total population in state so why were they given 32 per cent reservation.

In 1967, a total 180 backward communities had been merged into the OBC category and a 14 per cent reservation was alloted, which was later increased to 32 per cent.

The petition stated that according to a government survey, 41 per cent of state employees belonged to the OBC community so why had they been given reservation.