Maharashtra passes Maratha Reservation Bill, grants 10% quota in education, govt jobs

The Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday, February 20, unanimously passed the bill providing 10% reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education in a special one-day session. The Maharashtra Legislative Council has also passed the Bill.

With this new Bill, the reservation quota in the state has reached 62%, exceeding the constitutional cap of 50%.

The Maharashtra State Socially and Educationally Backward Bill 2024 also proposed that after the reservation comes into effect, its review could be taken after 10 years.

One of the key findings in the bill tabled by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde underscores that the population of the Maratha community in the state is 28%. Out of the total Maratha families that are below poverty line, 21.22% hold the yellow ration cards. It is higher than the state's average of 17.4%.

The state government's survey undertaken between January and February this year also found that 84% of the Maratha community families do not fall under the progressed category, hence they are eligible for reservation as per the Indra Sawhney case, as per the bill. Out of total farmers' suicides in Maharashtra, 94% are from Maratha families, the bill noted.

The report was submitted by chairperson of the commission Justice (retd) Sunil Shukre to CM Shinde in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The government, in a parallel exercise, had also begun looking for Kunbi records. Kunbi, an agrarian community, falls in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and activist Manoj Jarange has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas.

The Maratha reservation issue traces back to March 1982 when Annasaheb Patil committed suicide while advocating for reservation for the community. In 2004, Maratha-Kunbis, an agrarian Maratha subcaste, received the OBC status. In 2014, the Maharashtra government proposed a 16% reservation quota for Marathas, but the Bombay High Court halted the move.

In June 2018, then Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis formed the Gaikwad commission to study the status of Marathas, leading to a bill providing 16% reservation in education and jobs based on the commission's report. The Bombay High Court later revised the quota to 13% in jobs and 12% in education.

The Supreme Court had in 2021 struck down reservations for Marathas in college admissions and jobs in Maharashtra, saying that there were no exceptional circumstances to justify the breach of the 50% ceiling on overall reservations. The state filed a review plea, which was also rejected. It then filed a curative petition.

Last year, the Maharashtra government filed a curative plea challenging the Supreme Court's orders. The demand for Maratha reservation resurfaced in August when Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil began a hunger strike. On September 1, police lathi-charged Maratha protestors, resulting in violent protests.

After calming the protestors, the state government initiated multiple talks with Jarange. In October, the Maharashtra government began issuing Kunbi certificates to Marathas with Kunbi affiliation. This year, on January 20, Jarange commenced his march from Jalna to Mumbai, demanding full reservation for Marathas. On January 26, he reached Vashi, where CM Shinde met him and assured reservation for the community. Last week, the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission submitted its report concluding that Maraths are educationally and socially backward, third such report in the last decade with same conclusion.