Maharashtra Government Scraps 5% Muslim Reservation.

Withdraws 12-Year-Old Decision

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HT Correspondent 

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@hindostantimes.com

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra state government has officially cancelled the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) reservation for the Muslim community. By issuing a fresh Government Resolution (GR) on Tuesday, the administration has formally withdrawn a policy decision that dates back nearly 12 years.

The original decision, initiated in July 2014 by the then Congress-NCP government, provided a 5% reservation for the Muslim community in government jobs and educational institutions under the "Special Backward Category-A" (SBC-A).

While the Bombay High Court had stayed the reservation for government jobs in late 2014, it had originally allowed the reservation in educational admissions to continue, acknowledging the community's educational backwardness.

 The state government pointed out that since the initial ordinance was never converted into a permanent law by the legislature, it had legally lapsed. Consequently, the previous GRs from 2014 and 2015 have now been declared null and void. With this formal cancellation, the Muslim community will no longer have access to the specific 5% quota in state-run schools, colleges, or recruitment processes.

Political and Social Impact:

The decision is expected to trigger a fresh wave of political debate and social unrest. Community leaders and opposition parties have previously argued that the reservation was a necessary tool for the upliftment of the economically and educationally marginalized sections of the Muslim society.

The government, however, maintains that the withdrawal is a procedural necessity following the legal lapse of the 2014 ordinance and subsequent court observations.