1. This group of writ petitions/public interest litigations under Article 226 of the Constitution of India challenge two separate Ordinances promulgated by the Governor of Maharashtra on 9 July 2014 providing for reservation of seats for admissions in aided and unaided educational institutions in the State and reservation of appointments/posts in public services under the State as under:-

(i) Separate 16% reservation for the Educationally and Socially Backward Category (ESBC) in which the Maratha community is included, (Maharashtra Ordinance No. XIII of 2014).

(ii) Separate 5% reservation for a newly created Special Backward Category-A (SBC-A) consisting of 50 sub-castes amongst Muslim community specified in the Schedule to the Ordinance, other than the categories of Muslims to whom reservation has already been given under other categories of backward classes and other backward classes, (Maharashtra Ordinance No. XIV of 2014).

Each Ordinance excludes the creamy layer, but the impugned reservations are, over and above the reservations aggregating to 52% reservations already provided by the Maharashtra State Public Services (Reservation for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Denotif