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This story is from September 11, 2018

Final report of commission on Maratha reservation likely by November 15, state tells HC

Final report of commission on Maratha reservation likely by November 15, state tells HC
MUMBAI: The state government on Tuesday informed the Bombay high court that the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes will strive to complete its final report on Maratha reservation and submit it to the government by November 15.
The commission was set up and tasked last January by the state with coming out with a report in the social, economic, and educational status of the Maratha community after analyzing data collected in support of a 2014 law that provides 16 per cent reservation for Maratha community in education and public jobs.

Former Maharashtra advocate general Ravi Kadam appearing for the state tendered a progress report of work so far, to a bench of Justices R M Savant and K K Sonawane. The bench was hearing a petition filed last year by an activist Vinod Patil. His lawyer Leena Patil had last month urged for a time-bound programme from the state in submitting recommendations on the issue of reservations for the Maratha community.
Data for over 45,000 families belonging to the Maratha community has been analysed, Kadam said. The data was collected by five agencies appointed by the commission.
The HC adjounred the matter by four weeks, to October 9 for further hearing.
A joint secretary from Social Justice Department in his affidavit enumerated the progress so far and said, “the commission received representations in writing in large-scale during public hearings held at different places. In the meeting dated August 3-4 held at Pune, the commission constituted a panel of experts in the field of social-science, education and statistics, consisting of professor Omprakash Jadhav, Prof Ambadas Mohite from
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University and professor Sudhir Gavhane, former vice chancellor (YCMOU) and social scientist.’’ The work of scientif analysis of representations received was entrusted to this panel. The panel completed a scientific analysis of the representations and a report prepared by the experts is going to be discussed in a meeting scheduled on September 10-11 in Pune, the HC was told.
Information in the sample survey collected relates to social, educational and economic status of families within the state, the affidavit said and added that the commission also received information from the state about representation of the Maratha community in public employment, as well as from universities and department of medical and higher and technical education of the .
The commission will now take a “full review of all the information…to find out whether the community has adequate representation in public employment and its educational status in higher and professional education.’’
The state said that the commission has commenced preliminary work to study the historical aspect, legal provisions as well as reports from experts state and will also consider the constitutional provision and “make all efforts to complete the task of preparing the final report and submit it by November 15, 2018.’’
In November 2014, the HC had stayed the new quotas after a public interest litigation (PIL) challenged their constitutional validity for exceeding a Supreme Court imposed 50% cap on all reservation in the state.
There is still a stay on the reservation and the HC has to decide the issue finally.
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About the Author
Swati Deshpande

Swati Deshpande is Senior editor at The Times of India, Mumbai, where she has been covering courts for over a decade. She is passionate about law and works towards enlightening people about their statutory, legal and fundamental rights. She makes it her job to decipher for the public the truth, be it in an intricate civil dispute or in a gruesome criminal case.

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