Mumbai, Sep 2 — In what appears to be a breakthrough in the long-running Maratha quota agitation, the Maharashtra government has agreed to implement the Hyderabad Gazette — a document that identifies Marathas from the Marathwada region as Kunbis, a peasant community eligible for reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
The government has also assured withdrawal of all cases filed against protestors, marking a significant concession to the demands of quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil.
After holding talks with a state cabinet sub-committee at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, where he has been on a hunger strike since August 29, Patil announced that his supporters would vacate the city once a formal resolution is issued. “We won with your strength. Today I understood the power of the poor,” he told his supporters, who have gathered in tens of thousands over the past week.
Why the Hyderabad Gazette Matters
The Hyderabad Gazette has been central to Patil’s demands. He argues that the document provides undeniable historical proof of Marathas being listed as Kunbis in the erstwhile Hyderabad State, which included present-day Marathwada. By pushing for its implementation, Patil frames the Maratha reservation demand not as a political move but as a restoration of historical identity.
If enforced, this would allow large sections of the Maratha community to be officially recognized as Kunbis and claim OBC reservation in education and government jobs — a decades-long demand that has fueled widespread protests across Maharashtra.
High Court Steps In
Even as talks showed progress, Patil and his supporters faced sharp criticism from the Bombay High Court for disrupting normal life in Mumbai. With nearly 60,000 protestors flooding Azad Maidan and surrounding areas despite permission for only 5,000, the court expressed displeasure at both the agitation and the state government’s handling of the situation.
A bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe told Patil’s counsel, senior advocate Satish Manshinde, that such violations could not be tolerated. “They are violators, they have no right at all. They must leave immediately or we will take action. This is completely illegal,” the bench observed, warning of contempt proceedings if the agitation was not controlled.
The judges stressed that the city must return to normalcy, warning that if protestors failed to disperse, the court itself would step in. The bench also questioned the state government’s preparedness and called for accountability on why the situation had escalated.
The Road Ahead
With the government’s assurance to implement the Gazette and withdraw cases, the agitation may be nearing resolution. However, the legal intervention highlights the delicate balance between protecting the right to protest and maintaining law and order in a city of over 20 million people.
For Patil, the apparent victory marks a turning point in the Maratha reservation movement, but the coming days will determine whether the government can translate its assurances into concrete action without further confrontation.
