The Maharashtra government has cancelled the five per cent reservation to members of the Muslim community in jobs and education.

A Government Resolution (GR) was issued to this effect on Tuesday, as the previous ordinance about the five per cent reservation has lapsed and there is an interim court stay on that decision.

The previous Congress-NCP government had issued an ordinance to grant a 16 per cent quota to Marathas and five per cent to Muslims.

In 2014 when the Congress-NCP Democratic Front government was in power, the Muslim community, under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) category, was given reservation in educational institutions, semi-government and government jobs and a government resolution (GR) was issued to facilitate an ordinance.

However, the ordinance faced legal challenges in the Bombay High Court, which issued a stay on November 14, 2014.

Because the ordinance was not passed into law by the Maharashtra legislature by the deadline of December 23, 2014, it automatically lapsed. Subsequently, the Supreme Court invalidated the reservation by cancelling it during the hearing of a Special Leave Petition against the Bombay High Court’s order.

Now, after 12 years, the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation has revoked 5 per cent reservation under the SBC-A category.

As per the new GR, all previous decisions and the ordinance related to the five per cent reservation in government, semi-government jobs and educational institutions for the socially and educationally backward Muslim group included under the Special Backward Category (A) have been cancelled.

The government has cancelled the earlier decisions and circulars from 2014 and stopped issuing caste and non-creamy layer certificates to Muslims in the Special Backward Category, the new order said.

The Opposition has criticised the move, questioning the government's 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' slogan.

"We strongly condemn this decision. Instead of taking positive steps regarding the 5% reservation announced in 2014 for education and employment, the government has simply scrapped the old processes. Citing the High Court's interim stay and the ordinance becoming outdated as reasons, the government has dealt a severe blow to the rights of the Muslim community," Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad said.

"On one hand, they talk of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', and on the other, they close the avenues for obtaining necessary documents for reservation. Isn't this hypocrisy?" she asked.

"Instead of bringing the backward sections of society into the mainstream, this government has pushed them back into darkness," the Congress MP said in a post on X.

Imtiaz Jaleel, the Maharashtra chief of AIMIM, has sarcastically said the Maharashtra government's decision is a "Ramadan gift" to Muslims. "However, we will still urge our boys and girls not to drop out. If India studies, India will progress," he said.