The Bombay High Court in Mumbai has asked the Maharashtra government to respond to a petition challenging a recent Government Resolution (GR) that scrapped a 5% education reservation for about 50 backward Muslim communities classified under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) category. The petition, filed by advocate Syed Ejaz Abbas Naqvi, argues that the GR, dated February 17, is unconstitutional and discriminatory, effectively denying these communities equitable representation in education and administrative sectors. It highlights that the original reservation policy, introduced by the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government in July 2014, aimed to address educational disparities by providing reservations to socially and educationally backward Muslim groups. The petition contends that the recent cancellation of this educational benefit undermines the constitutional rights of the affected communities. Furthermore, it stresses that reservation policies should be based on empirical data regarding education, poverty, and social status, rather than broad caste classifications. Naqvi also pointed out that while the state allocates over ₹350 crore annually to madrasa education, limiting access to mainstream educational opportunities for backward Muslim groups constitutes discrimination.