[Maratha Reservations] Central government supports Maharashtra SEBC Act; Solicitor General Tushar Mehta tells Supreme Court it is constitutional

Day 7 of the hearing in the Maratha Reservation case before the Supreme Court witnessed some crucial submissions made by Central government's second senior most law officer, and Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta. .SG Mehta today told the apex court on Tuesday that the Central government is of the view that the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, which extends reservations to Maratha community in public education and employment, is constitutional..One of the questions that have propped up for debate in the Maratha reservations case is whether the States' powers to identify and extend reservations to backward classes have been taken away after the 102nd Constitutional Amendment..In other words, whether there would still be State lists for backward classes or whether it will only be one Central list of socially and educationally backward classes for the whole country. .The Attorney General of India, KK Venugopal had earlier made his stance clear that States continue to have powers to identify socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) in so far as it relates to reservations for State institutions. .Article 342A (inserted by the 102nd amendment to the Constitution), which says that SEBCs would be specified by Presidential notification, would only relate to reservations for those in the "Central List" for Central institutions in various States, the AG had added, as far as his personal views were concerned. .Maratha Reservation: Inconceivable any amendment would be brought by which no State will have power to identify SEBC: AG Venugopal [LIVE UPDATES].Solicitor General Tushar Mehta today expressed agreement with the AG's stance. ."We construed this (Article 342A) to be a confined role of Central Government. Whether State's Act is constitutional or not in Maharashtra's case - in our view, it is Constitutional", he said. .The Court, however, today sought answers from SG Mehta on the implications of not notifying the Central List under Article 342A till date. "Does it mean there is a blank slate as of now? If this is to notify further (SEBC), existing lists have to be incorporated into the amendment...Can you make it (Article 342A) a dead letter by not issuing a notification for all times to come?", the Court asked..However, the Court decided to hear Mehta's submissions on the issue again once it takes up a writ petition that has challenged the Constitutional validity of the 102nd Amendment itself. Notice in this petition was issued last week..In the hearing today, Mehta pointed out that if the Court decides that States are not denuded of the power to issue their own SEBC lists after the 102nd amendment, the Court may not have to take up the challenge to the amendment. This is because the writ petition challenges the amendment on the ground that it has taken away the State's powers to identify and extend reservations for SEBCs.The hearing in the case will continue tomorrow morning, when submissions are expected to continue on behalf of the State of Tamil Nadu. .Read a live account of the hearing today here:.[Maratha Reservations] Maharashtra SEBC Act is Constitutional in Centre’s view: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta - LIVE from Supreme Court