MUMBAI: A day after the Supreme Court rejected the Centre’s plea to review its verdict overturning OBC status for Jats , the Maharashtra government on Wednesday backed reservation for Marathas and vowed an order within 15 days, reports Sujit Mahamulkar. An earlier 16% quota for Marathas has been stayed by the Bombay high court. The matter will come up for hearing on July 29.

In reply to a calling attention motion in the legislative council by Vinayak Mete (Shiv Sangram), the state government said it was in favour of Maratha reservations and will introduce a revised government resolution (GR) on the issue in 15 days. The Sangram is an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

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The 16% reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs, passed by the state legislature in March, had been stayed by the Bombay high court and the matter will come up for hearing on July 29. Social justice minister Rajkumar Badole told the council that his government will appoint an advocate to put forth its stand before the HC, and that it will issue a revised GR.

Mete, a Maratha himself, told the council that government and semi-government departments were not following the government’s order on reservations. He said candidates who had been interviewed and appointed while the reservation was in force have not been permitted to take up their jobs due to the HC order.

Incidentally, in its ruling on Jat reservation, the apex court said on Tuesday that quota benefits cannot be extended to candidates from the community who had cracked the bank probationary officers exam under the OBC quota, as they had not been given appointment letters before the date the judgment was delivered.

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Mahadev Jankar of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, another BJP ally, said only 10% of the Maratha community was financially sound and the rest 90% needed reservation benefits.

Mete’s calling attention motion was supported by Narendra Patil and Rahul Narvekar (both NCP). The latter, however, alleged that the government had not yet appointed an advocate to present its case. Council chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar adjourned the House after pandemonium broke out over the issue.