Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has officially withdrawn its 2014 government resolution (GR) that granted a 5% reservation to the Muslim community for admissions to educational institutions and recruitment in government and semi-government jobs, a policy that had already been legally ineffective for over ten years.
The resolution, originally issued in July 2014 under an ordinance by the then Congress-NCP administration, placed approximately 50 Muslim groups in a newly designated Special Backwards Class-A (SBC-A) category with a 5% quota for educational and employment opportunities. However, this ordinance was challenged in the Bombay High Court, which stayed its implementation soon after, and because it was not approved by the state legislature by the required deadline, it automatically lapsed. The Supreme Court subsequently ruled against the measure in a Special Leave Petition, effectively nullifying the reservation.
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Despite the legal invalidation and the automatic expiry of the ordinance, the original government resolution remained on official records until now. The new GR issued by the Social Justice Department formally cancels the 2014 directive and declares all related decisions, communications and circulars void. As a result, no further admissions under the 5% quota will be granted, and no new caste certificates or validity certificates will be issued under the defunct SBC-A category.
Officials have characterised the move as primarily administrative, aimed at aligning the state’s official files with the existing legal position, given that the quota had long ceased to have legal force. The decision has drawn commentary from political figures and observers, with reactions emerging across the state’s political spectrum.
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