File of Silent Protests from the Maratha community as part of its nationwide agitation looking for a reservation | Photo Credit: Hind
The special bench of the Supreme Court in Mumbai said on Wednesday (June 11, 2025) that petitions that question the constitutional validity of the Maharashtra State law for social and educational reserve classes (SEBC), 2024, which grant 10% reservation on the Marath community in education and government jobs, and government jobs in the state State, and in government jobs, from 18 July.
Explained | Why was Marathas granted a reservation?
The whole bench, including the righteousness of Ravindra V. Ghuge, justice NJ Jamadar and the judge Sandeep, said it will continue on alternative Saturdays, which are usually a court holiday to hear the final arguments in the case.
The Supreme Court 14. May ordered the chief judge of the High Court in Mumbai to urgently represent a new full bench that will hear a petition against the Marath reserve. The court issued a direction while he listened to a written petition under the National Capability Test-Cum-ENTRANCE (Neet) of 2025 candidates who questioned 10% of the Marath quota, who quoted academic urgency and disruption of the admission process.
May 15. The notification of the High Court from the Judicial registrar said that a special bench containing three judges was established to hear and decide on lawsuits for public interest (Pil) and civic files on matters concerning the Mahashrashta State Reserve for the Social and Educational Class Act, 2024.
The previous full bench included the former main judge of the Supreme Court in Mumbai, Devendra Kumar Upiphyaya and Justices GS Kulkarni and Firdosh P. Pooniwall. The petitions were not completely heard in this matter after the former main judge of the Supreme Court in Mumbai was transferred as the chief judge of the High Court in Delhi in January this year.
The big bench has heard this matter considerably. The clutch questioned the law by the law because the maraths were not a backward community that needed the benefits of reservation, and that the state had already exceeded 50% of the ceiling on quotas. The petitioners closed their arguments in October 2024, while the state began to submit its arguments in November 2024.
Act 2024, adopted by the ruling Mahayuti government, provides 10% reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community, which accounts for almost a third of the state’s population. This law was in the forefront of political discourse during the elections to the Assembly of Lok Sabha and Maharashtra in 2024.
The law was adopted on February 20, 2024 and announced on February 26, 2024 by the then Chief Minister of Eknath Shinde, on the basis of a report from justice retirement Sunil B. Shukre, led by Maharashtra State Tlass Commission. The report quoted “exceptional circumstances and emergency situations” to justify the award of the reservation of the Maratha community by violating 50% of the ceiling for reservations in the state.
Published – June 11, 2025 22:57 is
