HC seeks govt's reply on AIMIM MLA's plea against Maratha quota

The Bombay High Court Thursday directed the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit in response to a petition by AIMIM MLA Imtiyaz Jaleel, challenging the reservation granted to the Maratha community.

The petition came up for hearing before a division bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre which directed the government to file its affidavit.

The court kept the petition for hearing on January 23, when it will hear other pleas challenging the reservation to the Maratha community.

On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for the Marathas, a declared socially and educationally backward class by the government.

Jaleel, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA from Aurangabad in Maharashtra, in his petition sought that the reservation be revoked.

The petition has urged the government to consider reservation for the Muslim community expeditiously.

"There is a need for caste-wise survey of Muslims and reservation to be provided to the community as it is also socially and economically backward," the petition said.