The Maharashtra government allows reservations for OBCs by ordering new Kunbi caste certificates for Marathas

By ordering the issuance of new Kunbi caste certificates to qualified Maratha community members on Tuesday, the Maharashtra government made a big advancement in their quest for quota privileges under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. A government resolution (GR) has asked for the attestation of historical documents addressing Kunbis in Urdu and ‘Modi’ script to be digitized, with the data being made publically available.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde recently said that 1.72 crore ancient papers, including some from the Nizam period, had been carefully examined by a commission constituted by the government. This decision comes after that declaration. During this thorough investigation, 11,530 documents pertaining to the Kunbi caste were found.

The Kunbis, a population historically associated with agriculture, are now eligible for educational and job reservations in Maharashtra since they are classified as OBCs.

The administration intends to amend the 2012 regulations pertaining to the issuance of caste certificates to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, and Other Backward Classes in order to guarantee the authenticity of the documentation provided by different government agencies. These changes would be in line with the suggestions made by the government-appointed committee, which is chaired by retired Justice Sandeep Shinde, and which were designed to provide Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas in the Marathwada area.

The government approved the committee’s first report the same day in response to the Maratha community’s ongoing requests for reservations in public positions and educational institutions. Three retired judges, Justice Dilip Bhosale, Justice Maroti Gaikwad, and Justice Sandeep Shinde, were also appointed by the GR. They will serve as members of the advisory council, with Justice Bhosale chairing the group.

In addition, as per the directive, the State Backward Class Commission would gather new empirical data in order to assess the Maratha community’s social and educational backwardness.

These choices have been made in response to activist Manoj Jarange’s continuous indefinite fast in a Jalna district hamlet, which demonstrates support for the demand for reservations made by the Maratha community. Violence has also been reported in the scenario, especially in the Marathwada area.