Maharashtra Government Scraps 5% Quota for Socially and Educationally Backward Muslims

The Maharashtra Government has annulled all administrative orders related to the 5% quota for socially and educationally backward Muslims in education and government jobs, originally announced in 2014. According to the decision, the process of ethnic verification and issuing eligibility certificates to implement the quota will also no longer continue.

The government stated that the ordinance issued by the then Congress–NCP government did not become law within the prescribed period, and therefore automatically lapsed on December 23, 2014. Prior to this, the Bombay High Court had already issued an interim stay on the quota for government employment.

The new decision clarifies that all official proposals and circulars issued in 2014 and 2015 based on the ordinance are now considered null and void. This includes directives for issuing caste certificates to Muslims under the Special Backward Class (SBC-A) category. Observers describe this as a “technical decision” since the quota was never actually implemented due to legal complexities.

In 2014, ahead of the state assembly elections, the Congress–NCP government had announced a 16% quota for Marathas and a 5% quota for Muslims. After the government changed, the ordinance did not convert into law and consequently lapsed.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind expressed dissatisfaction, demanding the 5% quota be reinstated, emphasizing that social justice concerns should not be ignored despite legal technicalities. They warned that the decision would adversely affect many Muslim students and job seekers who are educationally and economically disadvantaged.

NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto called the decision “deeply unfortunate,” stating that it effectively nullifies the quota previously announced for Muslims.