Maratha quota: Uddhav to meet pro-quota organisations, lawyers & experts today

A day after the Supreme Court stayed the Maratha quota for the current academic year, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a review meeting on Thursday to discuss the interim order and the legal options available before the state.

At the meeting, it was decided the Uddhav would consult representatives of various pro-quota Maratha organisations, lawyers, scholars and experts on Friday.

A meeting with spokespersons of alliance partners Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress is also likely to be held on Friday to brief them on the government stand. “This is to ensure there is no difference of opinion between three allies on the issue,” a source said.

The review meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar; chairman of Cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, Ashok Chavan; and other committee members like Balasaheb Thorat, Eknath Shinde and Dilip Walse Patil among others. The state advocate general and secretaries of the legal department were also present.

Chavan, meanwhile, on Friday appealed to the Maratha community to exercise restraint following the SC order. “The Supreme Court order is interim and the state government will take appropriate action in this regard. So, nobody should take any extreme step,” he said.

He added that some people are deliberately tried to mislead the community. “Provocative statements are being made. A conspiracy is being hatched with an intention to ensure Marathas take the law into their own hands in anger, which will then be used to create a false image of the community before the SC. The community should identify and thwart such attempts,” said Chavan.