The Maharashtra government has officially cancelled the 5 per cent SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Class) reservation that was earlier given to certain sections of the Muslim community. The decision was announced through a government resolution issued late on Tuesday.

According to the resolution, the reservation that was provided under the Special Backward Category-A (SBC-A) will no longer be applicable. This quota was meant to help eligible Muslim groups by giving them benefits in government and semi-government job recruitment, as well as admissions in educational institutions.

However, government officials have clarified that this is not a new policy change. They said it is simply an administrative correction based on the legal position that developed after court intervention. In other words, the quota was already not fully active due to legal hurdles, and the government has now removed it formally to match the current legal status.

The decision is expected to create political and social reactions because the quota was introduced to improve education and employment opportunities for socially and economically backward Muslim communities in Maharashtra.

The background of this policy goes back to July 2014. At that time, the state cabinet approved a proposal introduced by the then Minority Welfare Minister Naseem Khan. Under this plan, the government granted a 5 per cent reservation and also directed authorities to issue caste certificates and validity certificates to eligible beneficiaries. These documents were necessary for people to claim reservation benefits in education and job recruitment.

Soon after the quota was announced, it was challenged in the Bombay High Court through a writ petition. The case questioned the legality of giving reservation benefits in this manner. On November 14, 2014, the Bombay High Court gave an interim stay on the part of the policy related to public employment under state control. This meant the reservation could not be used for government jobs.

Although the education-related part of the quota continued to remain in discussion, the policy faced uncertainty due to the court stay and the legal challenges. As a result, the quota was never implemented properly in the way it was originally planned.

The government has now stated that the ordinance, which introduced the quota, was never converted into a law by the state legislature. Because of this, the ordinance automatically lapsed. Once the ordinance lapsed, the government resolutions and circulars issued during 2014 and 2015 also lost their legal validity.

To ensure that government records match the legal reality, the General Administration Department has now cancelled the earlier orders related to the quota. Officials insist that this move does not mean the government is taking away an actively working reservation system. Instead, they argue that the quota had already lost its legal standing long ago, and the state is only updating official documents accordingly.

Even though the government is calling it a technical and administrative step, political observers believe the issue could reopen debates in Maharashtra. Many may raise questions about how backwardness is identified, how reservation policies are framed, and what steps should be taken for minority welfare.

The quota was originally introduced to support weaker Muslim groups by improving their access to education and employment. With the formal cancellation now in place, discussions may again begin on whether new measures are needed to address the educational and social challenges faced by such communities.