Anti-Maratha Lawyer Attacked For Filing PIL Challenging the Quota to Marathas

Mumbai: An educated unemployed youth on Monday attacked prominent lawyer Gunratna Sadavarte, who has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the new Maharashtra legislation providing for quotas to Marathas, outside the Bombay High Court. The attack took place when Sadavarte was addressing the media on the quota issue hearing that had concluded a short while earlier.

After he finished his briefing and was moving out, one person from the crowd suddenly lunged forward shouting “Ek Maratha, Lakh Marath”, pushed and punched Sadavarte, who lost his balance and his glasses. The assailant shouted abuses and wanted to know why the lawyer was challenging the Maratha reservations even as some policemen and lawyers around managed to grab the attacker and whisked him away. He later identified himself as Vaijnath Mukne Patil from Jalna, a graduate but jobless youth. He has been detained at the Azad Maidan Police Station. The incident happened after Sadavarte’s PIL came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice M.S. Karnik, opposing the state government’s recent decision to provide 16 per cent reservations in government jobs and education to the Marathas. (IANS)

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