There is exceptional backwardness in Maratha community, its members deserve quota: Commission to HC

MUMBAI: There is an “exceptional backwardness” among persons from the Maratha community and the entire group is looked down upon, hence they deserve the 10% reservation in educational institutions and government jobs, the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes has submitted to the Bombay high court.
In an affidavit filed in the HC, the commission said that as per the data relating to 10 years’ statistics of suicides of the unreserved category, more than 94% belonged to the Maratha community.
In the past five years, there was a higher percentage of Maratha farmers who died by suicide as compared to farmers belonging to other categories, the commission said, adding that suicide by a person is an extreme step taken unless he or she sees no way of coming out of worrisome situation arising from lack of opportunities to improve his or her standing in the social order. “These findings underscored the social hurdles that the Maratha community faces, including stigma and practices that contributed to their social backwardness,” the affidavit said.
The commission said the economic data highlighted significant disparities in the living conditions, land ownership and financial obligations between the Maratha and other open categories.
The state government in February this year granted 10% reservation to the Maratha community under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) category in public employment and education.
The affidavit was filed on July 26 in response to a bunch of petitions challenging the government decision and the recommendations made by the Commission, based on which the decision was taken.
In the affidavit, the commission said it did quantitative research and studied the reports and recommendations made by previous committees. “The study revealed that the Maratha community was being looked down upon in the state. It was found that there was exceptional backwardness among the Maratha community,” the affidavit said.
The backwardness had to be viewed as something exceptional and beyond ordinary, as in a high economic growth society like India, the normal trend would be progressive in all aspects but in the case of the community it is not so, the Commission added.
“Against the buoyant economic conditions of the present day, the abject economic condition of the Marathas demonstrates their unusual and extraordinary economic backwardness,” the affidavit said.
The affidavit claimed its data showed that the Maratha community had been pushed to the dark edges of mainstream society and that it could no longer be considered a part of the mainstream of society in any real sense of the term. The commission said the 50% cap on a reservation in a state is only directory and not mandatory and maybe the general norm, but in exceptional or extraordinary circumstances, there is no bar to make a reservation beyond 50%.
It claimed that its study revealed profound disparities, especially in the perceived backwardness based on caste and traditional occupation as well as current occupation, higher engagement in manual labour for both women and men within the Maratha community. “The data also disclosed a high incidence of suicide by the members of the Maratha community, which was a sign of extreme depression and desperation,” it added.
“The data revealed that the Maratha community showed a higher rate of poverty, more significant reliance on kutcha pucca houses and a higher percentage of consumption loans, and so on,” it said.
The affidavit said that as per the study carried out by the commission, persons from the Maratha community had attained lower levels of education as compared to the open category, especially in terms of completing secondary education and achieving graduate, and post-graduate degrees and professional courses. A three-judge bench of chief justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, justice Girish Kulkarni and justice Firdosh Pooniwalla is slated to hear the petitions on August 5.