Law amended for Maratha students

  • | Friday | 21st June, 2019

The state assembly has changed a law to grant Maratha community students reservation in admissions to medical undergraduate and postgraduate courses from this year. The news sits well with over 2,000 Maratha students – 250 aspiring postgraduates and 1,800 undergraduates – seeking admission in the courses in academic year 2019-20. The state government had proposed reservations in jobs and education for the Maratha community on November 30, 2018 under the SEBC category. Incidentally, the government had started the postgraduate medical courses on May 2, but on May 5, the students were informed that their admissions had been cancelled, though they had paid full fees and joined duties. Reservation expert Dr Balasaheb Sarate said that with the passage of the bill, Maratha students given admissions in various education institutions for the current academic year will keep them.

The state assembly has changed a law to grant Maratha community students reservation in admissions to medical undergraduate and postgraduate courses from this year. On Thursday, the assembly unanimously passed a bill amending the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2018 to allow the quota under the SEBC category in medical and dental courses. The news sits well with over 2,000 Maratha students – 250 aspiring postgraduates and 1,800 undergraduates – seeking admission in the courses in academic year 2019-20. On May 20, when the legislature was not in session, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao had issued an ordinance to amend the SEBC Act to reverse the Supreme Court's May 9 judgment barring the state from implementing Maratha reservation in postgraduate medical courses this year. Under the amendment, a clause has been added to section 16 of the SEBC Act which states that 16% of the total seats in all educational institutes including private ones will be reserved for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes including the Maratha community. To make up for the shortfall in seats, state medical education minister Girish Mahajan said the state government would create 2,000 additional seats for the bachelor's course in medicine and surgery (MBBS) by next year, while it was in talks with the Centre to create more PG seats. Gaurav Pawar, a Maratha student involved in the legal battle seeking the quota implementation in postgraduate medical courses from this year itself, said the timing of the amendment dovetailed perfectly with the commencement of the admission process. The passage of the bill comes a day after the Supreme Court sought the state's response on a plea challenging a Bombay High Court order dismissing a petition against the 16% Maratha quota in admissions to postgraduate medical and dental courses. The state government had proposed reservations in jobs and education for the Maratha community on November 30, 2018 under the SEBC category. On May 4, the Bombay High Court had said that the March 8 notification on implementation of the 16% reservation for Maratha community under SEBC quota would not be applicable to the postgraduate medical admission process, as it had already gotten underway. Incidentally, the government had started the postgraduate medical courses on May 2, but on May 5, the students were informed that their admissions had been cancelled, though they had paid full fees and joined duties. Reservation expert Dr Balasaheb Sarate said that with the passage of the bill, Maratha students given admissions in various education institutions for the current academic year will keep them.

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