Protesters were seen thronging the main junctions in south Mumbai, causing traffic snarls during the morning peak hours.
Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss the ongoing hunger strike by activist Manoj Jarange, who is demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
The apex court said that status of those who have already taken benefits of the 2018 law shall not be disturbed.
The Maharashtra government has formed a committee to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who can provide documentary evidence recognizing them as Kunbis in the past, potentially opening the door for reservation benefits.
The top court, which refused to pass any interim stay order on the quota, said chances of physical court seem remote due to the persisting COVID-19 pandemic. A bench of Justices L N Rao, Hemant Gupta and S Ravindra Bhatt asked the parties said that all parties should sit together and decide on modalities of hearing like who will take how much time and no one shall repeat the arguments.
Maratha quota movement leader Manoj Jarange is heading to Mumbai to launch a fresh hunger strike, demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the OBC category. He has agreed to meet a government delegation near Pune en route.
Representatives of the Maratha community attributed the stepping up of pressure by the community to the "arrogance and lies" told to its members by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, and the "uncontrolled anger" among its youth over the delay in getting reservations.
'Given that his health is failing him, the government might, in a day or two, admit him to hospital.'
The Supreme Court has dismissed a batch of petitions, including the one filed by the Maharashtra government, seeking review of its 2021 judgment by which it had quashed the state law granting reservations to Marathas in admissions and government jobs.
Activist Manoj Jarange, advocating for Maratha reservation, reached Shivneri Fort with supporters en route to Mumbai for a fresh agitation. He demands a 10% quota for Marathas under the OBC category and has been granted permission to protest peacefully in Mumbai.
OBC activist Laxman Hake was allegedly manhandled and verbally abused by members of the Maratha community in Pune, and a video of the incident surfaced on social media, the police said on Tuesday.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has begun his indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan demanding reservation for the Maratha community.
Quota activist Manoj Jarange demands the Maharashtra government implement a GR for issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas before September 17, threatening further action if the deadline is missed.
The activist said leaders opposing Maratha interests would face consequences in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday announced the withdrawal of police cases filed against pro-Maratha reservation protesters in Jalna district, the epicentre of the latest round of stir on the issue, and urged quota activist Manoj Jarange to end his indefinite fast.
In the last five days, there were instances in which various groups of protesters agitated in front of the Mantralaya (secretariat), Bombay Stock Exchange, were seen roaming along the Marine Drive, Jehangir Art Gallery, Giragon Chowpatty and Gateway of India, but police controlled the crowd and were seen requesting them to take precautions.
Activist Manoj Jarange, on a hunger strike for Maratha quota, is open to talks with the government but refuses to leave Mumbai until demands are met. He urges protesters to maintain peace and claims they haven't violated any laws.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with an interim order of the Bombay high court by which the decision of Maharashtra government to provide 16 per cent reservation to Marathas in jobs and educational institutions was stayed.
A man demanding reservation for the community jumped to his death in a river in Aurangabad district.
The previous Congress-NCP government had issued an ordinance to grant a 16 per cent quota to Marathas and five per cent to Muslims.
He also appealed to the protesters to park their vehicles only in the designated parking areas, hours after the high court frowned on the conduct of protesters.
Activist Manoj Jarange's hunger strike demanding Maratha quota continues for the third day in Mumbai, following a meeting with a government delegation. The protest has caused traffic disruptions and highlights the ongoing debate over reservation policies in Maharashtra.
Fadnavis also said the lathi-charge order was not given by any top official to the Jana Police last week.
The government said it would complete the process of quota for Marathas, which had remained incomplete after the high court stayed it in 2014.
The government is thrusting new leaders to the fore and moving others aside to create a rift between the Maratha and OBC communities, he said, stressing that those protesting over their demand for non-dilution of the OBC quota are not at fault.
At the state level, Pawar appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the quota dispute.
The government told the HC that 'Maratha community comprises people belonging to various castes and since the country doesn't conduct caste-based census anymore,' it was proving rather 'difficult' to get hold of the requisite data.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been booked by Beed police for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde over the murder of a sarpanch in the district. The FIR was registered based on a complaint by Tukaram Aghav, who alleged that Jarange's remarks were aimed at creating a divide in society. The activist had targeted Munde during a rally in Parbhani, stating that the Maratha community would not allow Munde to roam the streets if the sarpanch's family was harmed. Munde's supporters protested against Jarange, demanding action against him. The sarpanch, Santosh Deshmukh, was abducted, tortured, and murdered on December 9, allegedly for trying to prevent extortion from an energy firm. Seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder case, including Walmik Karad, an associate of Munde, who has been arrested in the extortion case. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) is probing the cases.
'Those who have wronged or harassed the Maratha community should be taught a lesson through the ballot'
Activist Manoj Jarange has criticized the Maharashtra government for extending the permission for his hunger strike for Maratha reservation by only one day. He warned that Marathas from across the state will come to Mumbai if their quota demand is not met quickly, threatening to escalate the protest and stop taking water in the next two days.
The NCP leader asked how suddenly a number of records showing Marathas as belonging to the Kunbi caste were being found.
Activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to make it clear whether it is ready to provide reservation to the entire Maratha community and why it needs more time in granting quota to it.
As violence broke out, police baton-charged the protesters and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse them. Several persons, including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 state transport buses were set ablaze. More than 360 persons were booked in connection with the violence, police said.
The slain sarpanch's brother Dhananjay Deshmukh met Jarange in Beed on Thursday, a day after Karad was sent to the custody of a Special Investigation Team of the Maharashtra police.
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday suspended his indefinite fast, which he began five days ago over the quota issue, stating that his community members say they want him alive to fight for the cause.
The Bombay High Court ruled that Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange must obtain prior permission from authorities to hold a protest, citing concerns about law and order, especially during the Ganesh festival.
Bhujbal stridently opposed Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's demand for Maratha quota from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) share.
"The government recruitment is frozen. Where are the jobs?" the minister said.
'The Maratha versus OBC friction will increase. A huge chunk of the Shiv Sena's social base consists of OBCs.' Dhaval Kulkarni reports.
The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday decided that Kunbi caste certificates will be issued to those Marathas hailing from the Marathwada region who possess revenue or education documents from the Nizam era that recognise them as Kunbis, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.
