Maharashtra govt accepts Shinde panel report on procedure to grant Kunbi certificates to Marathas

Pic/PTI

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday accepted the first report of a committee headed by retired high court judge Sandeep Shinde, appointed to decide the procedure for granting Kunbi caste certificates to the Marathas in the Marathwada region, reported news agency PTI.

The process of issuance of Kunbi certificates has begun, an official statement said. The Kunbi community is eligible for reservation in the OBC category, reported PTI.

The decision came amid activist Manoj Jarange's indefinite fast for quota for the Maratha community, and incidents of violence over the demand in some parts of the state, reported PTI.

The state cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, also decided that the OBC Commission will collect fresh empirical data to assess educational and social backwardness of the Maratha community, reported PTI.

"The first report of the Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde committee has been submitted. The process of granting Kunbi certificates to Marathas has started," the statement from the Chief Minister's Office said, reported PTI.

The cabinet also decided that a three-member panel headed by retired judge Dilip Bhosale and retired judges Shinde and Maroti Gaikwad would be formed to advise the government on the legal issues related to the Maratha quota demand, it added, reported PTI.

Last month, a five-member panel headed by Justice Shinde was set up to decide the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for giving Kunbi certificates to members of the Maratha community who (or whose ancestors) were referred to as Kunbis in Nizam-era documents. The Marathwada region of present-day Maharashtra was part of the Hyderabad state until 1948.

The panel was given an extension till December 24 last week.

Chief minister Shinde had spoken to Jarange over phone earlier in the morning and assured that a concrete decision on giving Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community would be taken at the cabinet meeting. The activist has demanded that Kunbi certificates be given to Marathas across the state.

Earlier, The Maratha community will not accept an "incomplete reservation" and the Maharashtra government should call a special session of the state legislature on the issue, activist Manoj Jarange said on Tuesday.

Jarange, who is on an indefinite hunger strike for the demand of reservation, held a news conference at his village Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde talked to him on phone and assured that a decision about giving Kunbi caste certificates to the Marathas would be taken at a state cabinet meeting later in the day.

(With inputs from PTI)