Special quota for Maratha students in Medical PG : Latest amendment

Mumbai : The Legislative Council of the state on Friday passed an amendment in the Socially Economically Backward Class (SEBC) Act 2018, providing 16 per cent reservation to the students of Maratha community in admissions to the post-graduate (PG) courses in medical colleges.

The state Assembly on Thursday had passed the amendment in this regard. The state government had earlier promulgated an ordinance for extending quota benefit to the Maratha students.

The Maharashtra Assembly on November 29 last year had passed a bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs for the Maratha community, declared as socially and educationally backward class (SEBC) by the government.

Citing the reason that the admissions to post-graduate medical courses had begun on November 2, students from the open category had moved to the Bombay High Court and the reservation was scrapped.

Last month, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court had said that the 16 per cent reservation for the Maratha community under the SEBC category will not be applicable for the post-graduate medical courses this year.

The Supreme Court had also upheld the High Court order. Last month, the state government had received permission from the Election Commission (EC) to promulgate an ordinance for giving quota to the Maratha community in the PG medical courses.