Mumbai Maratha Protest LIVE: HC seeks Jarange Patil’s reply to pleas alleging violations during protests

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will meet the protesters in Nagpur taking part in a chain hunger strike over the apprehension that Marathas would be given reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, a local BJP leader said. The Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh had launched the chain hunger strike at the Samvidhan Chowk here on August 30, a day after activist Manoj Jarange began his indefinite fast at Azad Maidan in Mumbai to press for the Maratha quota demand. - PTI

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday set up a nine-member cabinet sub-committee to expedite the welfare measures for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and resolve issues related to reservation. The move came a day after activist Manoj Jarange called off his five-day-long hunger strike in Mumbai with the state government accepting most of his demands, including granting eligible Marathas Kunbi caste certificates, which will make them eligible for reservation benefits available to the OBCs. - PTI

NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said he would move the court against the Government Resolution (GR) or order issued by the state government for expediting the grant of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas. Indicating his displeasure about the GR issued amid Maratha leader Manoj Jarange's hunger strike, Bhujbal, a prominent leader from the Other Backward Classes, did not attend a cabinet meeting earlier in the day. "OBC leaders have doubts about the GR....as to who won after Jarange's agitation. We are seeking legal opinion on whether the government is authorized to change people's caste," the leader said. - PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut credited Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for resolving the Maratha quota agitation and ending the activist Manoj Jarange's hunger strike, in a rare appreciation of the BJP leader. Raut said if the government has addressed the issue and saved Jarange's life, then it should be welcomed. “Devendra Fadnavis was involved in the deliberations to resolve the issue. He was working in the background. All credit must go to Fadnavis,” said the Sena (UBT) leader. - PTI

More than 125 metric tonnes of garbage was collected from Azad Maidan and its surrounding areas in south Mumbai during the five-day-long Maratha quota agitation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday. Azad Maidan was the ground zero of the Maratha reservation protest launched by activist Manoj Jarange. He began his indefinite fast on August 29 and called it off on Tuesday afternoon after the Maharashtra government accepted most of his demands. - PTI

A day after some Maratha community leaders raised concerns about the government resolution (GR) on reservations, quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil expressed confidence on Wednesday that all Marathas would be included in the OBC category. He also urged the Maratha community not to believe in rumours.

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BJP MLC Parinay Fuke said the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation issued the GR on Maratha quota after taking all members of the cabinet into confidence, and claimed that no OBC leader was disappointed with it. Nobody would move court against the government resolution (GR), he expressed confidence, saying legal experts maintained that the existing Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota would remain unaffected. - PTI

Lawyers representing Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil and other protesters Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that the issue was resolved after the intervention of the Maharashtra government.

The court was hearing pleas against the protests held at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai from August 29 to September 2.

The Court asked the respondent protesters and organisers to file affidavits in reply within four weeks to show that they were not behind the damage to property caused, if any, and to deny such allegations.

After the bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe said that there was large-scale damage to the property by the protestors, the lawyers representing organisers said such allegations were based on old photographs.

Senior advocate Satish Maneshinde, appearing for protesters, also said that the Mumbai Police have filed FIRs against some protesters and the authorities will take care of the same.

He said that Jarange Patil and others did not instigate protesters to cause any inconvenience.

The court said it will dispose of the pleas after perusing affidavits and indicated that it will not pass any adverse orders.

A day after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange ended his fast, doctors attending to him in a hospital here on Wednesday said he had dehydration and low blood sugar, and was being administered intravenous (IV) fluids, news agency PTI reported.

Jarange, after ending his fast on Tuesday, left the venue in an ambulance for a medical check-up. He was then shifted to a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the PTI report stated.

"He is stable, but has dehydration and his blood sugar is a little low. He has weakness due to this. We have given him IV fluids. Blood reports are a little good. His kidneys are also good," a doctor monitoring his health told PTI.

"We will reduce his weakness by medication and then he will be given food orally. Last night (after admission in hospital) he had juice. He will be on liquid diet probably till tomorrow," the doctor said. (PTI)

Nine FIRs have been registered against Maratha protesters in South Mumbai for instances over past few days.

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From food packets to plastic bottles, chappals to discarded flyers and posters, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed 1.01 lakh kg or 101 Metric Tonnes (MT) of waste items from Azad Maidan and its adjoining areas between August 29 and Tuesday morning while protest against the Maratha reservation was underway.

The overall waste removed is equal to the full capacity of 54 waste compactor dumpers each having a capacity of 1,850 kg each, that were pressed into operation for collection and transporting the accumulated solid waste.

Besides this, the BMC’s data show that 466 sanitation workers were deployed by the authorities during this period for clearing the piles of waste.

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With every passing day starting from Friday, the Mumbai Police learnt from what worked for them in handling protesters and refined their strategies to ensure that protestors did not throw life completely out of gear in Mumbai.

Taking a leaf out of the book and realising that protestors were unwilling to listen to anyone, but Jarange-Patil, senior officers then gathered video clips of his interview in which Jarange-Patil had requested protestors not to do anything that would inconvenience Mumbaikars.

Nearly 1,500 police forces deployed on duty hardly got the time to sleep for a few hours. Two additional commissioners of police, 12 deputy commissioners of police, 350 senior officials and nearly 1,300 constables were deployed round-the-clock in south Mumbai to keep a watch on the protesters.

Here's how the Mumbai Police handled the crowd over the past few days.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil Tuesday withdrew the agitation after receiving the official Government Resolution (GR) on the implementation of the Hyderabad gazette, granting Kunbi status to Marathas of the Marathwada region.

The other three gazettes will require at least a month’s time. Six out of Patil’s eight demands were accepted as he welcomed the draft resolution, claiming victory.

However, it has left community leaders and experts in doubts about whether the GR will really be beneficial while they flagged flaws in the draft resolution.

“I genuinely feel that the GR issued today does not provide any new benefit to the Marathas of Hyderabad Sansthan. Earlier too, certificates were issued based on genealogical records. So what is new?” Sanjay Lakhe Patil, Convener, Maratha Kranti Morcha said.

Activist Manoj Jarange, who called off his 5-day long agitation for the Maratha reservation cause in Mumbai on Tuesday afternoon, will undergo treatment at a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, doctors said. (PTI)

Maratha quota protesters dispersed from Azad Maidan on Tuesday, with many thronging the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to catch trains, after activist Manoj Jarange ended his five-day-old hunger strike. (PTI)

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced forming a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state.

The government made this announcement in a resolution and it followed hectic talks between state ministers and activist Manoj Jarange, who was on a hunger strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan to demand OBC reservation for Marathas. He later ended his five-day-old fast. (PTI)

After the protest for Maratha quota ended on Tuesday, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "My objective was to give justice to the community."

"We will continue to work for all communities in Maharashtra, be it Marathas or OBCs," he added.

He said there are some misconception among OBCs over reservation to Marathas, but "it is misplaced."

Earlier, Bawankule said, “Taking away the concessions of 353 sub-castes in the OBC category to give them to Marathas is not acceptable to anyone.”

On Monday, Maharashtra Minister and senior OBC leader Bhujbal had said that Marathas should not be accommodated in the quota for Other Backward Classes, citing that only 17 per cent reservation is available for 374 communities in the state. Bhujbal also warned that lakhs from the OBC community will stage protests if the reservation meant for them is slashed.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has withdrawn the agitation after the receiving the official government resolution (GR) on the implementation of the Hyderabad gazette, granting Kunbi status to Marathas of the Marathwada region, bringing the protest to an end on the fifth day. Ending his fast, he left Azad Maidan in an ambulance for medical checkup.

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil ends hunger strike after accepting government proposal in presence of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, during massive rally demanding Maratha community reservation. (Express Photo/Ganesh Shirsekar)

Visuals of Maratha quota activists celebrating at Azad Maidan as Manoj Jarange Patil claimed victory after accepting the government's draft proposal.

Maharashtra minister and former state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said it was unjustified to take away reservation from one community and give it to another, after the government assured Jarange Patil of a government resolution to implement the Hyderabad gazette, news agency PTI reported.

While claiming that no government in the state, other than those led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his predecessor Eknath Shinde, had done justice to the Maratha community, Bawankule said, "Taking away the concessions of 353 sub-castes in the OBC category to give them to Marathas is not acceptable to anyone."

On Monday, Maharashtra Minister and senior OBC leader Bhujbal had said that Marathas should not be accommodated in the quota for Other Backward Classes, citing that only 17 per cent reservation is available for 374 communities in the state. Bhujbal also warned that lakhs from the OBC community will stage protests if the reservation meant for them is slashed.

Patil went on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, seeking a 10 per cent quota for the Maratha community in government jobs and education under the OBC grouping.

The Hyderabad Gazette plays a key role in the ongoing demand for Maratha reservation in Maharashtra, especially in the context of granting the Kunbi caste status to Marathas.The 1918 Hyderabad Gazette, issued by the Nizam-era government, documents certain communities including many from the Maratha community in the Hyderabad State (now Marathwada region of Maharashtra) — as Kunbis, a recognized OBC (Other Backward Class) category in Maharashtra.

In the Hyderabad State, the Maratha community had a significant presence, with representation in both administrative power and employment. Recognizing this, the Nizam government officially categorized the community as Kunbi and granted them reservations in education and jobs through a formal order. This order was published in the official Gazette of the Hyderabad State, which is why it came to be known as the "Hyderabad Gazette."

This document is still considered valid and is accepted as a reference in many ongoing legal cases. It was also cited during earlier demands for Maratha reservation in Maharashtra. The Gazette includes official government documentation noting that the Maratha community has historically been socially and educationally backward.This is why Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil is demanding not only the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette but also the inclusion of records from the Satara and Bombay Gazettes.

Quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has accepted the draft resolution after the panel of ministers, led by Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, assured him that a Government Resolution (GR) will be issued to implement the Hyderabad gazette, granting Kunbi status to Marathas of the Marathwada region.

With this, six out of eight demands of Jarange Patil have been accepted.

"We have accepted the draft, now government should issue the GR, the scholars have also gone through it and have approved it," Jarange said.

The government has assured that the Hyderabad gazette will be implemented through a government resolution (GR), while the other three gazettes will require at least one month's time.

Jarange has been demanding the implementation of Hyderabad, Satara, Bombay and Aundh gazettes that can grant Kunbi status to Marathas.

As Jarange Patil has agreed to withdraw agitation after government assured to issue a government resolution (GR) for the implementation of Hyderabad Gazette, Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil instructed the police to not trouble the protesters while they are celebrating

After the delegation assured a government resolution (GR) would be issued for listing Marathas of Marathwada with the Kunbi status in the Hyderabad gazette, quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil said, “We will be celebrating mainly once we go back to our village. Celebrations will be carried out at every village.”

Jarange has been demanding the implementation of Hyderabad, Satara, Bombay and Aundh gazettes that can grant Kunbi status to Marathas.

The delegation of ministers has given assurance to quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil that a Government Resolution (GR) would be issued for the implementation of Hyderabad gazette that will give Kunbi status to Marathas of Marathwada.

Jarange accepted the proposal and said that as soon as the GR would be issued, he would leave Mumbai along with his supporters. The government said it would issue the GR within an hour's time.

Patil, addressing his supporters after meeting the ministers delegation, said, "Our demands were already presented to the government in written form. The first issue was the immediate implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette, which we had demanded. The government has now made a decision on this. Minister Vikhe Patil has given an assurance that if the protesters agree to the proposal, the government will issue a Government Resolution (GR) on it. The sub-committee has decided to approve the proposed demand for the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette."

"According to this government decision, an action plan is proposed under which individuals from the Maratha community in the village will be issued Kunbi caste certificates after verification, if their relatives, clan members, or people from the same village have already been issued such certificates," he added.

Jarange has been demanding the implementation of Hyderabad, Satara, Bombay and Aundh gazettes that can grant Kunbi status to Marathas.

Minister and head of the cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha quota issue Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has presented the draft proposal to activist Manoj Jarange Patil.

He is being accompanied by Minister Manikrao Kokate and Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosle, a descendant of Shivaji I, founder of the Maratha Empire.

The Bombay High Court accepted request made by senior advocate Satish Maneshinde and other lawyers for Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil and other protesters seeking breather to engage in dialogue with sub committee of the state cabinet. The court adjourned hearing on plea against permission granted for protests at designated site at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai to Wednesday (September 3), 1 pm.

"We must indicate that this court would be constrained to pass any orders and to go to any extent to uphold the majesty of the law in as much as any breach of the order passed by this court shall not be tolerated and appropriate action shall be taken against violators," noted a bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe remarked and said that the organisers will have to answer issues raised by the court.

Minister and head of the cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha quota issue Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Minister Manikrao Kokate and Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosle, a descendant of Shivaji I, founder of the Maratha Empire, have reached Azad Maidan to meet Manoj Jarange Patil.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary and DCP Sangaramsingh Nishandar along with around a hundred policemen are requesting people to vacate the road and footpath outside BMC headquarters and Kila court.

Cabinet sub committee head Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the decision to vacate protestors from the streets of Mumbai is according to the Bombay High Court's orders.

A police team reached Azad Maidan ahead of the 3pm deadline set by Bombay HC. Maratha leaders told protestors that apart from 5000 people at Azad Maidan, rest should leave for Navi Mumbai, as per the HC's directives issued on Monday.

On Monday, Bombay High Court issued directives asking protesters all areas of Mumbai except for Azad Maidan by Tuesday noon.