Maratha quota: Ex-AGI Mukul Rohatgi to present govt’s stand in HC

The hearing in the PIL challenging the Maratha reservation will begin in the Bombay High Court from February 6.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had requested Rohatgi to represent the state government in the quota case. Along with Rohatgi, legal expert Paramjit Singh Patwalia and Supreme Court advocate Nishant Katneshwarkar have also been appointed in the case.

Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, who heads the committee on Maratha reservation in Maharashtra, said, “Former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi will present the Maharashtra’s government’s views on Maratha reservation in the Bombay High Court.”

On Saturday, Rohatgi held a four-hour-long meeting with a team of state government officials, representing the legal and general administration department, in Delhi.

“The government’s decision to give 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community was based on the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission report. The reservation is based on findings that Marathas are a socially and educationally backward community,” Patil said. “The government has roped in the best legal minds to ensure the Maratha reservation withstands legal challenges.”