Maratha reservation: Burning issue reaches Mumbai again

This is not the first time that Mumbai has witnessed these scenes.

In 2016, after the rape and murder of a minor girl from the community, Maratha protesters had paralyzed south Mumbai. In 2017, they returned with reservation requests, once again bringing the city to a standstill.

Also in January 2024, Jarange Patil had led thousands of people to Navi Mumbai, planning to protest in Shivaji Park. But then CM Eknath Shinde intervened, and the march dispersed to Vashi.

The rise of Manoj Jarange Patil

Jarange Patil became the most senior face of the Maratha reservation movement in August 2023, when he launched a hunger strike in Antarvali village of Jalna, the village of Jalna, demanding complete reservation. Violence erupted after a police charge in September, forcing several rounds of talks with the state government.

The government assured that it would verify the Kunbi Maratha records documented during the Nizam’s era. Jarange Patil demanded that the 54 lakh Kunbi Marathas identified, along with their relatives, have agreed to by the OBC. While Kunbi Marathas had already received OBC status in 2004, Jarange insisted on expanding it widely. He had warned that if the certificates were not issued by January 20, he would march to Mumbai.

The state said the exercise was massive and could not be completed by the deadline. On January 20, Jarange began his march from Jalna with lakhs of supporters, intending to stage a protest at Azad Maidan on Republic Day. Then CM Shinde met him again and the march was withdrawn.

Now, months later, Jarange Patil has once again brought his supporters to Mumbai.

The legal and political context of the Maratha reservation

In February 2024, the Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passed a bill granting 10% reservation for Marathas in jobs and education in a special session. The Legislative Council also authorized it.

The bill cited findings that the Maratha community constitutes 28% of the state’s population, with 21.22% of BPL Maratha families holding yellow ration cards (higher than the state average of 17.4%).

A survey conducted in early 2024 found that 84% of Maratha families do not fall under the ‘progressed’ category, making them eligible for reservation under the Indra Sawhney judgement. The bill also noted that 94% of farmer suicides in Maharashtra come from Maratha families.

With this, Maharashtra’s total reservation quota touched 62%, violating the 50% cap. The bill was challenged in court. The Bombay High Court has allowed the Maratha quota on an interim basis, but the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.

This comes against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s judgment in 2021, sending back the Maratha quotas early, ruling that there were no “extraordinary circumstances” to justify surpassing the cap to 50%. The curative petitions and petitions filed by the state were also dismissed.

Historical context of the movement

• 1953: Prime Minister Nehru Forms the Kaka Kalelkar Commission, India’s first class commission. He concluded that Marathas were not eligible for reservation.

• 1961: The BD Deshmukh committee marked Kunbis as backward but excluded Marathas.

• 1980: The Mandal Commission classified the Marathas as a front caste.

• 1982: Congress leader Annasaheb Mk Patil, who demanded Maratha reservation, committed suicide when his demands for reservation were not met. It was a turning point in the movement.

• 1995: The Khatri Commission again failed to recognize the Marathas as backward.

• 2008: The RM Bapat Commission rejected Maratha’s allegations, but the report was shelved by the state government before the elections.

• 2014: Narayan Rane committee recommended reservation, government announced 16% quota in jobs and education months before elections. The Bombay HC remained there later.

• 2018: The Gaikwad Commission classified Marathas as socially and educationally. Based on the report of this commission, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government passed a Maratha Reservation Bill granting Marathas 16% in jobs and education. The HC reduced it to 13% in jobs and 12% in education.

• 2021: The Supreme Court overturned the quota completely, strengthening the cap to 50%.

• 2023: Manoj Jarange Patil started his hunger strike, and a lathi charge occurred at Antarwali Sarathi village.

• 2023: The Maharashtra government has started examining the documents of Kunbi Maratha parents under the ‘Sage Soyare’ project to award them caste certificates so that these people can be eligible for reservation in the OBC category, a step criticized by the OBC community.

• 2024: A bill granting 10% reservation to Marathas in jobs and education was passed, which was later challenged in the Court

Maratha leaders and politicians

Maharashtra has witnessed several leaders from the Maratha community as chief minister – from Sharad Pawar and Vilasrao Deshmukh to Vasantdada Patil, Shankarrao Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan and incumbent Eknath Shinde.

Yet, despite their presence at the helm, the long-pending demand of Maratha reservation remained unresolved.