Maharashtra Minister Athawale says demanding end of reservations will attract sedition charges

Maharashtra's senior cabinet minister Ram Das Athawale publicly declared that calls to scrap the state's reservation system will be treated as seditious activity. In a press briefing, he asserted that the reservation policy, which provides quotas for historically disadvantaged communities, is a constitutional safeguard and any attempt to dismantle it threatens social harmony.

Athawale warned that law‑enforcement agencies would not hesitate to invoke Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code against individuals or groups advocating the removal of quotas. He emphasized that the government remains committed to preserving affirmative action measures and will take strict legal action against those seeking to undermine them.

The statement comes amid renewed public debate over reservation reforms, with some civil‑society groups urging a review of the policy's scope. Athawale's remarks signal a hardening stance from the state administration, underscoring the political sensitivity surrounding caste‑based reservations in Maharashtra.