Mumbai | The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced forming a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state.
The government made this announcement in a resolution and it followed hectic talks between state ministers and activist Manoj Jarange, who was on a hunger strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan to demand OBC reservation for Marathas. He later ended his five-day-old fast.
The Kunbi is a traditional farming community in the state and they have been included in the list of OBC category in Maharashtra in order to make them eligible for government reservations in jobs and education.
The government resolution (GR) issued by the social justice and special assistance department also mentioned about implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer.
"In accordance with the historical references contained in the Hyderabad gazetteer, a dedicated scrutiny process shall be conducted to verify documents and establish eligibility of persons from the Maratha community for Kunbi caste certificates. The committee shall ensure that every claim is assessed in a time-bound and transparent manner," said the GR.
Jarange has been long demanding that Marathas be recognised as Kunbis.
The committee announced to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who are able to produce documentary evidence recognising them as Kunbis will be a village-level mechanism.
The panel will include gram sevak, talathi (revenue official), and assistant agriculture officer as members. These officials will verify the documentary claims of applicants from the Maratha community and submit their findings to the competent authority, according to the GR.
"The intention of the government is to provide Kunbi caste certification to all Maratha claimants who can demonstrate their lineage through official documents, thereby enabling them to avail of reservation benefits lawfully," it said.
The GR directed that persons from the Maratha community who or whose ancestors held agricultural land prior to November 21, 1961, or earlier, must produce evidence such as old land records or extracts from relevant registers. Based on these records, the designated committee would conduct local enquiries and certify the claimants accordingly.
In July 2023, the government had amended the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, De-notified Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate Rules, 2012 to allow scrutiny of archival documents.
Subsequently, in July 2024, the government had issued another resolution directing various departments to make available old revenue and land records for the verification process.
Tuesday's GR builds upon those directives by laying down the structure of village-level committees to ease certification for the Maratha community.
The Hyderabad gazetteer or gazette refers to an order issued by the then-Nizam government of Hyderabad, which included parts of present-day Marathwada region in central Maharashtra. The gazetteer classifies certain communities, including some Maratha community groups, in the erstwhile Hyderabad State as Kunbis, who have been included in the OBC category in Maharashtra.
Implement of the Hyderabad gazetteer will effectively grant Kunbi status to Marathas of the Marathwada region, making them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.
Mumbai | Activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday evening ended his five-day-old fast after the Maharashtra government accepted most of his demands, including granting eligible Marathas Kunbi caste certificates which will make them eligible for reservation benefits available to OBCs.
Jarange accepted a glass of fruit juice offered by senior BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, and other members of the panel at south Mumbai's Azad Maidan, the site of his agitation since August 29, marking the end of his fast.
The 43-year-old activist was in tears after breaking the fast as his supporters cheered at the protest site, while Mumbaikars, who faced hardship during the agitation, heaved a big sigh of relief.
He later left Azad Maidan in an ambulance for medical check-up.
Before ending his hunger strike, Jarange declared victory after a delegation of senior minister, including Vikhe Patil, met him at the protest site and conveyed acceptance of his demands, including giving Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas.
The announcement of victory triggered wild celebrations among his supporters.
Jarange had earlier demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his two deputies -- Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar -- come to Azad Maidan for him to break his fast.
"This would ensure there was no bitterness among Marathas,'' he reasoned.
Vikhe Patil told the activist said all three are out of Mumbai and appealed to him to break his fast.
"We have got the implementation of Hyderabad gazetter (granting Kunbi status to Marathas)... what else do we want. If they (CM and his deputies) don't want to come (to Azad Maidan), do you want me to die," Jarange asked.
The activist warned against the BJP-led government reneging on its promises.
"I warn Vikhe Patil if there is any attempt to deceive us on implementation of the Government Resolution (GR) on implementation of the Hyderabad gazette, in which a three-member committee will be set up at village level, and promises like providing jobs to the kin of Maratha activists who lost their lives in protests, withdrawal of cases against protesters, we will not keep quiet. I will come to Vikhe's home and sit there till I die,'' Jarange cautioned.
Talking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis hailed Jarange's move to call off his fast and asserted his government has found a solution in the interest of the Maratha community.
The CM said the government told protesters caste certificate can be given to individuals and not the community.
"My objective was to give justice to the Maratha community. My government was always focused on the welfare of Marathas and I will continue to work for all communities in Maharashtra, be it Marathas or OBCs," Fadnavis said.
Hours earlier, the government issued a resolution on the Hyderabad gazetteer and announced the formation of a village-level committees to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who are able to produce documentary evidence recognising them as Kunbis in the past.
The government resolution (GR) was issued by the social justice and special assistance department.
It stated, "In accordance with the historical references contained in the Hyderabad gazetteer, a dedicated scrutiny process shall be conducted to verify documents and establish eligibility of persons from the Maratha community for Kunbi caste certificates. The committee shall ensure that every claim is assessed in a time-bound and transparent manner."
The panel will include gram sevak, talathi (revenue official), and assistant agriculture officer as members. These officials will verify the documentary claims of applicants from the Maratha community and submit their findings to the competent authority, said the GR.
"The intention of the government is to provide Kunbi caste certification to all Maratha claimants who can demonstrate their lineage through official documents, thereby enabling them to avail of reservation benefits lawfully," it said.
The GR directed that persons from the Maratha community who or whose ancestors held agricultural land prior to November 21, 1961, or earlier, must produce evidence such as old land records or extracts from relevant registers. Based on these records, the designated committee would conduct local enquiries and certify the claimants accordingly.
The Hyderabad gazetteer or gazette refers to an order issued in 1918 by the then-Nizam government of Hyderabad. The gazetteer classifies certain communities, including some Maratha community groups, in the erstwhile Hyderabad State as Kunbis, an OBC community in Maharashtra.
The General Administration Department (GAD) later issued a separate GR accepting five key decisions taken in connection with demands raised by the Maratha community.
According to a GAD order, the first decision was to provide financial assistance and employment opportunities to families of persons who lost their lives during the Maratha quota agitation.
The second decision directed that all pending police cases against Maratha protesters should be withdrawn by September 2025. The third decision was regarding waiving examination fees for students belonging to the Maratha community in the current academic year.
The fourth decision stated that applications for caste verification under the Justice Sandeep Shinde Committee should be disposed of within ten days of filing.
As per the fifth decision, the committee headed by Justice Shinde would continue to scrutinise pending cases and begin fresh verification work.
