Maharashtra government’s recent decision to scrap 5 per cent reservation in education for socially and educationally backward classes(SEBC) among Muslims has been challenged by a Mumbai-based lawyer in the Bombay High Court.
The decision infringes the fundamental rights of Muslim students and violates constitutional principles, says the petition filed by advocate Syed Ejaz Abbas Naqvi through advocate Nitin Satpute, reported Bar and Bench.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday withdrew the five percent reservation for Muslims in jobs and education, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition, which has accused the BJP-led Mahayuti administration of being "anti-minority."
A July 2014 order had allowed 50 Muslim communities, under the Special Backward Category-A (SBC-A), to obtain caste verification and validity certificates.
As per the new GR, all previous decisions and the ordinance related to the five per cent reservation in government, semi-government jobs and educational institutions for the socially and educationally backward Muslim group included under the Special Backward Category (A) have been cancelled. The government has cancelled the earlier decisions and circulars from 2014 and stopped issuing caste and non-creamy layer certificates to Muslims in the Special Backward Category, the new order said.
The petition said that neither has anyone complained about the Muslim SEBC quota nor has anyone been adversely affected by it. The plea also alleges that the decision amounts to discrimination against minorities, reported, maktoob media.
The plea sought quantifiable data to justify cancelling the policy and an interim stay on the decision to scrap 5 per cent reservation.