Government refutes Jarange-Patil’s claims on Kunbi certificates ahead of protest

According to the government, 1.4 million Kunbi certificates have been issued to Marathas since October 2023, when Jarange-Patil began his agitation for reservation

MUMBAI: As the deadline for Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s “final and decisive protest” against the BJP-led Mahayuti government approaches, the state government has denied his charge that Kunbi certificates are not being issued to Marathas.

Thane, India - November,21, 2023: Community of Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil is seen interacting with maratha community in a meeting at Gadkari Hall in Thane to demand Maratha reservation ,in Thane, in Mumbai, India, on, Tuesday, November ,21, 2023. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo )

According to the government, 1.4 million Kunbi certificates have been issued to Marathas since October 2023, when Jarange-Patil began his agitation for reservation. The government has issued over 5.17 million OBC certificates since 1986, when the demand for Maratha reservation began, according to government officials.

Jarange-Patil says he will begin his “largest ever” protest on August 29 as the government has allegedly not been issuing Kunbi certificates despite the Sandeep Shinde committee being appointed to find records establishing Kunbi antecedents among Marathas.

He also alleged that many of the Kunbi certificates issued have been rejected by caste scrutiny committees at the district level. These committees are quasi-judicial bodies that verify the documents submitted for the issuance of caste certificates. The quota activist alleged that the certificates were rejected by the committees on orders of state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, an OBC leader.

“The Sandeep Shinde committee found over 5.8 million documents with Kunbi antecedents. Maratha community members can obtain Kunbi certificates on the basis of these documents, enabling them to avail OBC benefits. Since the constitution of the Shinde committee, the government has issued 1.4 million Kunbi certificates. Of these, 389,160 certificates were issued since August 22, 2025. The rejection rate of Kunbi certificates is minuscule,” said a revenue department official.

The quota activist has also alleged that the government has failed to withdraw cases registered against Maratha protesters over the last three years. According to government figures, most cases have been withdrawn since September 2023.

Of the 1,509 cases registered across the state, 1,373 cases have been withdrawn. Another 118 cases have been declared non-withdrawable because they involved damage to public or private property worth more than ₹5 lakh or loss of life. Most of these cases relate to the violent protests in Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Navi Mumbai in 2023-24. The state is yet to take a decision on 18 pending cases.

“We have provided the data demanded by Jarange-Patil on certificates and withdrawal of cases. I will meet Jarange-Patil and persuade him to call off his proposed protest,” said water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.

Virendra Pawar, one of the coordinators of the Sakal Maratha Samaj, said, “The government figures are misleading as most of the certificates have been given in Vidarbha and the Konkan, where Marathas are already known as Kunbis. The real need for the certificates is in Marathwada and North Maharashtra, where Marathas are in the open category. We are firm on the protest from August 29.”