Maratha Quota Row: Demands Intensify for Hyderabad Gazette and Kunbi Records

Historical records at the centre

The Maratha reservation agitation led by Manoj Jarange Patil has focused increasingly on two documentary sources: the Hyderabad Gazette, a pre-Independence record from the Nizam era, and Kunbi entries identified across Maharashtra by the Sandeep Shinde Committee. Jarange Patil has claimed that the Satara District Gazetteer and the Hyderabad Gazette together contain approximately 58 lakh records linking Marathas with Kunbis genealogically.

The committee, constituted following Jarange Patil's earlier protests, was tasked with identifying historical documents to establish Kunbi lineage among Marathas. Its findings have facilitated the issuance of Kunbi certificates that make recipients eligible for Other Backward Classes reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.

Certificates issued versus records traced

Government data reviewed at a state cabinet sub-committee meeting indicated that nearly 48 lakh Kunbi records had been discovered across Maharashtra, with over 12 lakh Kunbi certificates issued to date. The highest numbers were reported in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, where 2,57,084 certificates had been distributed.

In Marathwada, the state issued 2,88,179 Kunbi certificates against 2,88,789 applications in eight districts until March 2026, with only 407 applications rejected. Jarange Patil has argued that the government is cutting back on these figures, cancelling issued certificates and preventing validation, allegations officials have not fully addressed at the protest site.

Hyderabad Gazette and Marathwada's distinct history

Jarange Patil has insisted that Marathas in Marathwada, which was under the Nizam's rule until September 1948, require access to documents from the Hyderabad era that were not available when Kunbi certificates were issued elsewhere in the state. Some historical documents were procured from Hyderabad in Telangana, where Nizam-era records are preserved.

The activist has demanded that certificate distribution based on the Hyderabad Gazette begin immediately, stating that Maratha children would welcome such certificates. He has also sought a government resolution concerning the Satara and Kolhapur princely states, alongside decisions on other pending issues affecting the community.

Deadline and continuing agitation

As Jarange Patil's hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati continued into September 2026, he set a deadline for the government to issue a formal resolution and begin certificate distribution. BJP MLA Prasad Lad told reporters that the process of issuing Kunbi certificates under the Hyderabad Gazette would begin from September 3, but Jarange Patil maintained that he would not end the agitation until implementation was visible.

The state government has maintained that each applicant must establish lineage through verification even where historical records exist. The gap between the scale of records identified and the pace of certificate issuance remains the central dispute driving highway blockades, bandhs and the continuing fast at Antarwali Sarati.