A bench of the Mumbai High Court on Monday separated themselves from the hearing of several petitions challenging the Maharashtra government’s decision to issue the Kunbi caste certificate for reservation to the members of the Maratha community.
These five petitions filed by the people of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) claimed that they (the people of the Maratha community) will be included in the OBC category by issuing the Kunbi caste certificate to the Maratha community.These petitions came to hear before the bench of Justice Revathi Mohite Dera and Justice Sandesh Patil.
However, Justice Patil said that he could not hear these petitions, after which the bench separated himself from the hearing of the petitions without giving any reason. Now these petitions will be placed before the bench of Chief Justice Shri Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad.
These petitions have been filed by organizations Kunbi Sena, Maharashtra Mali Samaj Mahasangh, Ahir Suvarnakar Samaj Sanstha, Sadanad Mandalik and Maharashtra Nucleus Mahamandal. He claimed that the government’s decision is arbitrary, unconstitutional and inappropriate in terms of law, and it should be canceled.
The Kunbi army in its petition claimed that the government proposals change the basis and norms of issuing certificates of three castes – Kunbi, Kunbi Maratha and Maratha Kunbi. He said that these proposals are “vague” and “chaos” will spread from them.
The petition claimed, “The decision to include the community in the OBC category is a misleading and vague way to provide caste certificate to Maratha community from other backward classes.”
The government’s decision to issue the Kunbi caste certificate to the eligible persons of the Maratha community has come after the five -day fast at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai by reservation activist Manoj Jarange.
Jarange and his supporters surrounded several important areas of South Mumbai for five days, which the Mumbai High Court expressed displeasure. The court had said that a deadlock has arisen in Mumbai and the city has come to a complete standstill.
On September 2, the government issued a government order (GR) on the Hyderabad Gazette and announced the formation of a committee to assist the Kunbi caste certificate to those of the Maratha community, who are able to present the documentary evidence of recognizing themselves as kunbi.
The OBC has been in a tizzy after the state’s Social Justice and Special Assistance Department issued the GR on the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette as the eligible members of the Maratha community will be able to apply for the Kunbi caste certificate on the basis of this GR. With this, they will be able to claim reservation under the OBC category after the certificate is issued.
