The Evolution of Maratha Reservation: From Struggle to Victory

The Maratha community is a group of castes including peasants, landowners, and warriors. The Kshatriyas (warriors) are the top layer of the Marathas, while the rest belong to an agrarian sub-caste called Kunbi. However, this distinction between the Kshatriya Marathas and the Kunbis was only held until the Maratha empire existed. In contemporary Maharashtra, most Marathas are engaged in agriculture. The Maratha reservation movement started in 1981 when Mathadi Labour Union leader Anna Saheb Patil initiated a demonstration in Mumbai demanding reservation. However, not much progress was made on this issue in the years that followed, and the early 2000s saw the first real attention given to this problem.

An optimistic move was made in 2004 when the Maharashtra government included Maratha-Kunbis and Kunbi-Marathas to the list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Sadly, this inclusion did not include people who only identified as Marathas. Consequently, people from the Kunbi sub-caste, historically linked to agricultural professions, were accorded OBC designation, leaving out a substantial portion of the Maratha population. The killing of a minor in Kopardi hamlet, Ahmednagar, in 2016 and 2017 caused a significant increase in the zeal for the Maratha quota. Under the leadership of the Maratha Kranti Morcha, this movement planned large-scale, nonviolent protests across the state. It encompassed more than just calls for reservations; it also included broader issues like requesting compensation for suffering farmers, vengeance for the perpetrators, and justice for the victim. The Maharashtra state government acted in 2017 in response to the demonstrations by forming the NG Gaikwad Commission to determine whether quotas for Marathas could be implemented. The commission recommended classifying Marathas as members of the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC).

Marathas now have a 16% reservation in educational institutions and employment possibilities thanks to the enactment of the Maharashtra State Socially and Educationally Backward Act in 2018. Several political parties, including the Congress and the NCP, supported this parliamentary action. Legal challenges to the validity of the prior 50% reservation cap for Marathas were lodged at the Bombay High Court, creating roadblocks for their reservation. They suggested cutting the quota to 12% for education and 13% for jobs, even though the High Court upheld the reservation. But in 2020, the Supreme Court stepped in and declared the Maratha quota to be unconstitutional and against constitutional provisions, stopping its execution. In May 2021, the Supreme Court quashed the provision of reservation for Marathas altogether.

To look into the issue, the Maharashtra government formed the NG Gaikwad Commission in 2017. Reservations for Marathas under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) category were suggested by the commission. The Maharashtra SEBC Act, which grants reservations to members of the Maratha community, was ratified in 2018. Legal battles ensued as petitions challenging the validity of exceeding the 50% reservation level were filed with the Bombay High Court. In 2020, the Indian Supreme Court issued a stay after ruling that the Maratha quota was unconstitutional and violated Article 14 of the Indian Constitution. In May 2021, the Supreme Court eliminated the Marathas provision. Until a remedy was found, the Maharashtra government directed less fortunate members of society to receive benefits from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota. On January 26, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange announced fresh agitation in Mumbai and declared that he would continue his indefinite hunger strike for reservation. Jarange began his indefinite hunger strike by marching from Jalna district to Mumbai on January 20, with thousands of his supporters joining him. On Tuesday, he reached the Pune district. 

The current agitation is part of a long-term movement by the Maratha community for reservation in state jobs and education. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra announced a survey conducted by the State Backward Classes Commission (SBC) to evaluate the educational, social, and economic backwardness of the Maratha community. On January 27, the day of the agitation, the Maratha activist broke his indefinite fast. On the same day, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra accepted all the demands made by the Maratha activists. CM Shinde offered Manoj Patil a glass of juice, and he ended his fast after a week. The Maratha community is demanding an OBC certificate for the community, free education, and Maratha seat reservations in state government jobs. On January 19, thousands of Maratha community members gathered to protest the government's failure to implement the reservation.