Maratha quota left only 18 per cent seats for open category

Mumbai: Petitioners opposing the Maratha reservation also opposed the medical post-graduation admission process. Counsel Shreehari Aney brought to the notice of the court that after giving reservation to the Marathas, there were only 18 per cent seats left for the open category in the state.

Mr Aney, who represents the petitioners, submitted an application before the court and argued that admissions for post-graduation for medical would begin soon and if 16 per cent Maratha reservation was applicable, it would be injustice to other students.

“The state’s decision to give 16 per cent reservation to the Marathas has created inequality in the minds of the people of the society. Due to failure of the state government, everyone was seeking reservation,” argued Mr Aney.

Mr Aney said that the state failed to create jobs and educational facilities. “If ample jobs and educational institutions had been made available in the state, no one would have tried to get reservation,” argued Aney. Due to the 16 per cent reservation, equality was under threat.

Mr Aney argued that the state should have checked the economical, educational and social backwardness of that particular community and then give reservation. “But in this case, the state had already decided to give reservation to the Maratha community and then conducted the survey.”

A division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Bharti Dangre was hearing a bunch of PILs filed against the 16 per cent reservation given by the state government to the Maratha community.