Maharashtra Scraps 2014’s 5% Muslim Quota on the Eve of Ramadan

The Maharashtra government has scrapped the five per cent reservation for Muslims in education and government jobs introduced through a 2014 ordinance , drawing sharp criticism from the Opposition , which said the move was “anti-minority” , coming on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan .

As per a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Tuesday , the state withdrew all previous decisions granting five per cent reservation to socially and educationally backward Muslims under the Special Backward Category (A) . The quota was introduced by the Congress–NCP government in 2014 but remained legally contentious.

The Bombay High Court had earlier granted interim relief allowing five per cent reservation in educational institutions , while staying its implementation in government jobs . The benefit was implemented for the 2014–15 academic year but not extended thereafter.

Government sources said the decision was guided by concerns over the constitutional validity of religion-based reservation , noting that the Constitution provides reservation on the basis of social and educational backwardness , not religion alone. The issue was also viewed in the context of the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent cap on total reservations, central to several quota-related litigations, including the Maratha reservation case .

Former Congress leader Naseem Khan described the move as “extremely wrong” , alleging it would deprive minorities of opportunities to join the mainstream of development . He also claimed that several minority welfare schemes had been discontinued and that scholarship allocations were significantly lower than required. Khan demanded a probe into alleged irregularities in the grant of minority status certificates to schools.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said the decision showed that the BJP does not value Muslim leaders within its party and allied formations.

Muslims constitute about 11.6 per cent of Maharashtra’s population , and studies suggest that nearly half are already included under OBC-listed communities and continue to receive reservation benefits, while the scrapped five per cent quota primarily affected non-OBC Muslims .