Filing review plea on SC's OBC quota ruling an option: Ajit

Mumbai: Moving the Supreme Court with a review petition against its ruling that reservations to Other Backward Classes cannot exceed 50 per cent of the seats in local bodies reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs taken together, was an option before the Maharashtra government, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said in the Assembly on Friday. The Supreme Court on Thursday said reservation in favour of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in concerned local bodies in Maharashtra cannot exceed aggregate 50 per cent of the total seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and OBCs taken together.

The apex court, while reading down section 12(2)(c) of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961, that provided 27 per cent quota for persons belonging to backward class, also quashed notifications issued by the State Election Commission (SEC) in 2018 and 2020 to the extent of providing seat reservation in local bodies concerned for OBCs.

It said election results of OBC candidates, which had been made subject to the outcome of pleas pending before it, are declared as non-est in law and the vacancy of seats be forthwith filled up by the SEC for the remainder term of the local bodies concerned.

Raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP demanded that the Question Hour be set aside and the MVA government make a statement, saying the apex court judgement will have a far reaching impact on OBC quota.

Pawar, while responding to Fadnavis, said elections to local bodies as per the Mandal Commission-mandated quota (for OBCs) are being held since 1994. The Supreme Court order is only regarding local bodies in Dhule, Nandurbar, Nagpur, Akola, Washim, Bhandara and Gondia districts, he said.

He said the verdict was discussed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with cabinet colleagues on Thursday evening.