Kunbi certificate discrepancies: Jarange-Patil sets August 29 deadline for Maharashtra govt
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has again raised the banner of protest against the Maharashtra government, alleging discrepancies in the verification and approval of Kunbi caste certificates. He has announced a tour of parts of Marathwada and Western Maharashtra beginning Friday, August 7, 2026, to highlight the issue.
Mr. Jarange-Patil accused the government of both issuing and cancelling Kunbi certificates, calling it a strategy to deny the Maratha community its rightful reservation. He has set an August 29 deadline, threatening a fresh “final” agitation over delays and denials in the certificate process.
The immediate trigger appears to be the recent cancellation of Kunbi caste certificates of four elected women representatives in the Marathwada region. Those affected include Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Zilla Parishad member Jyoti Shinde, Gangapur municipal councillor Varsha Gaikwad, Parbhani Zilla Parishad member Komal Parve, and Rekha Sarode, a councillor from Majalgaon municipality in Beed. According to reports, the certificates were revoked for failing to provide documentary evidence of paternal blood relatives belonging to the Kunbi community.
The controversy stems from a 2025 government resolution that grants reservation in education and jobs to Maratha community members who can prove lineage to the Kunbi community. Kunbi is classified under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in Maharashtra, and the resolution aims to extend these benefits to Marathas with Kunbi ancestry.
To trace such lineage, the government constituted the Justice (Retd) Sandeep Shinde Committee in September 2023 to examine historical land and revenue records for entries related to “Maratha-Kunbi” and “Kunbi-Maratha.” The committee has identified approximately 58 lakh such entries, and its validity has been extended until June 30, 2027. In January 2024, the government also notified the “sage-soyare” (blood relatives) policy and set up district-level reservation cells to expedite scrutiny and issuance of certificates.
The current standoff centers on the legality of issuing Kunbi certificates and the interpretation of the 58 lakh entries. Mr. Jarange-Patil had earlier submitted a 12-point proposal to the government, demanding that certificates be issued based on the identified records, that documents be displayed at village gram panchayat offices, and that action be taken against officials who deny certificates. He also sought implementation of historical gazettes from Satara, Aundh, and Hyderabad, and validation of already issued certificates.
Over the past three years, Mr. Jarange-Patil has staged nine hunger strikes, with the latest in May 2026 over discrepancies in the validation of issued certificates. His repeated agitations have kept the Maratha reservation issue at the forefront of state politics.
Responding to the activist’s allegations, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Bawankule said the government does not influence the functioning of caste scrutiny committees, as they are quasi-judicial bodies operating independently. “If there are issues, one can approach the Bombay High Court,” he added.
With Mr. Jarange-Patil’s August 29 deadline looming, the state government faces the challenge of addressing concerns over the certificate verification process while maintaining the independence of scrutiny committees. The outcome could have significant implications for the Maratha community’s access to reservation benefits.
