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Prithviraj Chavan asks wherefore this was done soon aft Ajit Pawar’s demise, erstwhile Mr. Pawar had taken the Muslim preservation determination successful 2014.
The Maharashtra authorities has issued an bid scrapping the issuing of caste verification certificates and the validation process, efficaciously withdrawing the 5% reservation for the backward communities among Muslims successful the state. The preservation contented was caught successful a maze of ineligible tangles, and could not beryllium implemented since the ordinance lapsed successful December 2014, a whopping 11 years ago.
But the assemblage had hoped that the authorities would instrumentality the preservation successful education. That hope, too, has been dashed by the authorities bid now. The absorption has slammed the government, though it has besides noted that determination volition beryllium nary interaction connected the existent presumption of the assemblage since it was anyhow not benefiting from the reservation.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress person Prithviraj Chavan asked wherefore the BJP-led authorities had scrapped the determination soon aft Ajit Pawar's demise, erstwhile Mr. Pawar had taken the determination successful 2014. “Is his enactment not lasting for Muslim preservation anymore?” helium asked portion speaking with The Hindu connected Wednesday (February 18, 2026).
Congress person Amin Patel, who has been warring for the origin of Muslim preservation successful education, termed it a mislaid battle. “This preservation for Muslims successful acquisition is important for nation-building,” helium said. Mr. Patel had raised the contented successful the Assembly respective times successful the past decennary to gully the government’s attraction to formulate a instrumentality regarding it. “The High Court had besides been affirmative astir it,” helium said.
Background
Let america archetypal effort to recognize the little timeline of the Muslim preservation contented successful Maharashtra.
In 2009, the Maharashtra authorities nether Prithviraj Chavan and Ajit Pawar appointed Dr. Mehmoodur Rehman Committee to survey Muslim backwardness. After the Sachar committee study and the Ranganath Mishra report, it gave its findings successful 2013, naming 50 sub-castes successful Muslims successful Maharashtra arsenic the castes with precocious level of disparities.
As per the committee’s recommendations, the Maharashtra authorities had past promulgated an ordinance successful 2014 for Maratha arsenic good arsenic Muslim reservation. A peculiar class named Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) was announced for it. On the ground of Narayan Rane committee study connected Maratha reservation, the authorities had announced 16% preservation for Marathas, and connected the ground of Mehmoodur Rehman committee, it had announced 5% preservation for backward classes wrong Muslims.
After the ordinance was passed, the determination was implemented. But some the decisions were challenged successful the Bombay High Court successful 2014 itself. The Bombay High Court had scrapped the Maratha preservation successful jobs and successful education. While scrapping the Muslim preservation successful authorities and semi-government jobs, it had observed that acquisition preservation should beryllium fixed to the community.
But elections had already taken spot by then. And the caller authorities led by the BJP did not enact immoderate instrumentality connected it earlier the ordinance lapsed successful December 2014. Since determination were nary observations against reservations for Muslims successful education, the enactment of passing a instrumentality to that effect was disposable to the government.
Nonetheless, respective orders were issued by the authorities successful 2014 and 2015 for the issuance of certificates, which would alteration radical to assertion the benefits of reservation. But successful the lack of the ordinance oregon a law, the assemblage could not get immoderate preservation payment successful acquisition since December 2014.
Now, successful enactment with the stated ineligible presumption and the developments truthful far, the authorities has officially scrapped the procedures for Muslim reservation.
‘Infructuous’
“This determination by the authorities is infructuous astatine this time. What is the constituent of passing this bid erstwhile the assemblage was anyhow not getting immoderate reservation? It is conscionable a means to gully the attraction distant from the commercialized woody and from the Epstein files,” Prithviraj Chavan, who was the CM erstwhile the determination to assistance preservation to the backward communities wrong Muslims was taken, said.
He said that the BJP was spreading mendacious communicative that it was religion-based reservation. “It is not religion-based. Just similar the Mandal committee looked astatine backward classes wrong the Hindus, this 1 looked for backward classes wrong Muslims. We had started the process successful 2013 itself. But by the clip it could beryllium completed, it was 2014. So we issued 2 abstracted ordinances successful July 2014. Elections took spot and the BJP came to power. In the mean time, the decisions excessively were challenged. But the BJP could person brought successful a instrumentality for preservation successful acquisition for the backward communities wrong Muslims,” helium said.
He demanded that it should beryllium done now, and said that if the Congress came to power, it would bring this law.
At present, the preservation nether SBCA (Special Backward Class A category), giving 5% preservation to backward communities to Muslims stands scrapped successful Maharashtra.
