Maharashtra govt recognises as Kunbis kin of Marathas with caste records

Cm Shinde with Manoj Jarange/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi

On Saturday, the Maharashtra government published a notification proposing new guidelines that legally acknowledge the Maratha community's blood relatives as Kunbis. This action comes in response to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's call for Kunbi certificates for all Marathas.

The notification outlines the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, De-Notified Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate (Amendment) Rules, 2024. It states that Kunbi caste certificates will be issued to blood relatives, such as uncles, nephews, and other family members, upon filing of an affidavit proving their relationship to Maratha community members.

The term 'sage soyare' refers to relatives of the applicant's father, grandpa, great-grandfather, and earlier generations descended from marriages within the same caste. According to the rules, Kunbi caste certificates shall be granted swiftly following a field inquiry and verification.

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The announcement emphasises that 'sage soyare' refers to Maratha community members whose records show Kunbi origin. It also states that relatives from marriages within the same caste as those with Kunbi records will acquire the caste certificate.

"All the 'sage soyare' being in relation of the persons belonging to the Maratha community, whose record of being Kunbi has been found shall be given certificates on the basis of the Kunbi records of such persons belonging to Maratha community," added the announcement, defining the official recognition of Marathas' kin as Kunbis.

The notification was made public after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil ended his hunger strike after he marched towards Mumbai from his village in the Marathwada region. He broke his fast after CM Eknath Shinde presented him with fruit juice. The Maharashtra government had prepared a new ordinance draft on Friday night.

A report in PTI stated that CM Shinde announced that Marathas will be given all benefits enjoyed by the OBCs till they get a reservation.

The demonstrators arrived at Vashi on Friday morning, where they stopped for the night after the Mumbai police sent Jarange a notice stating that no location in the city could hold the vast number of protestors, according to a PTI report.