Pleas against Maratha reservation quota to be heard by Bombay HC on Monday

When the petition came up for hearing on Wednesday morning, the bench refused to hear it unless the lawyer, Dr Gunaratan Sadavarte, was present

The Bombay high court (HC) will on Monday hear a public interest litigation challenging the 16% Maratha reservation announced by the state on November 30, along with an earlier petition filed in 2014.

The bench then directed Dr Sadavarte to be present at 3pm. (HT representational photo)

When the recent petition, filed by Dr Jishri Patil, came up for hearing on Wednesday morning, a bench of chief justice Naresh Patil and justice Makarand Karnik refused to hear, it unless the lawyer, Dr Gunaratan Sadavarte, was present. The petitioner, a member of the Indian Constitutionalist Council (ICC), told the court that both the lawyer and she had received threats warning them against filing the petition. The bench then directed Dr Sadavarte to be present at 3pm.

“The matter was mentioned for early hearing as the government plans to implement 16% quota in medical admissions and employment drive that involves around 76,000 posts. This will reduce the number of seats for the open category to only 32%,” submitted Dr Sadavarte to the bench, in the afternoon.

Senior advocate VA Thorat and Anil Sakhare, who appeared for the state, told the court there was a difference between the old and new legislation. “The previous legislation was stayed as it did not follow the stipulated procedure of appointing a Backward Class Commission to study the need,” he said.