Key Takeaways
- The Justice Sandeep Shinde Committee recommends issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas.
- Over 11,530 certificates were identified from more than 1.72 crore documents.
- An advisory panel of retired judges will assist the government with a Supreme Court curative petition.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday accepted the preliminary report submitted by the retired Justice Sandeep Shinde Committee on the prickly issue of Maratha reservation.
The report was discussed in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. Other issues pertaining to the Maratha quota were also discussed.
It may be recalled that the Justice Shinde Committee had on Monday given its report to the government on the process to determine the Kunbi-Maratha caste certificates based on the Nizam period.
The committee found 11,530 certificates from over 1.72 crore documents it scrutinized in the past month.
Accordingly, the Marathas should be issued the ‘Kunbi Caste’ certificates which will make them eligible for quota, as demanded by the Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil, whose indefinite hunger strike entered the 7th day today in Jalna.
An advisory panel of three retired judges – who have prepared separate committee reports on the Maratha quotas issue – will guide the government on the proposed curative petition filed in the Supreme Court, especially pertaining to certain anomalies to ensure that it withstands legal scrutiny.
The advisory panel comprises – Justice M. G. Gaikwad (2019 report), Justice Dilip Bhosale (2021 report) and the ongoing committee of Justice Sandeep Shinde (2023 preliminary report).
