Maharashtra govt extends tenure of genealogy committees till June 2026 as Jarange's hungers strike enters Day 2

Activist Manoj Jarange launched an indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai on Friday. (Image: ANI)

As Maratha quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange continued his indefinite hunger strike at historic Azad Maidan for the second day on Saturday, the Maharashtra government announced the extension of the tenure of the genealogy committees till June 30, 2026.

The genealogy committees have been constituted at the taluka level for the issuance of caste and caste validity certificates to eligible Maratha community members under the Kunbi caste of the OBC category.

Social Justice and Special Assistance Minister Sanjay Shirsat said the decision was taken by his department through a government resolution (GR) on Friday, PTI reported.

The government formed genealogy committees on January 25, 2024, and their tenure was earlier extended till June 30, 2025. Later, the term of the high-level committee headed by Justice Sandeep Shinde (retired), to scrutinise Kunbi records of the Maratha community, was extended till December 31, 2025.

In line with the extension granted to the high-level panel, the state government decided to provide at least six months' additional time to the taluka-level genealogy committees, headed by tehsildars. Accordingly, their tenure has now been extended till June 30, 2026.

The move is aimed at facilitating the issuance of caste and caste validity certificates to eligible members of the Maratha community under the Kunbi, Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha categories.

The provisions of the January 25, 2024 government resolution will continue to apply to these committees, the order stated, PTI reported.

Activist Manoj Jarange, who launched an indefinite hunger strike once again in Mumbai on Friday for the Maratha quota demand, has been seeking a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.

He wants Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis - an agrarian caste included in the OBC category - which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.

Jarange and thousands of his supporters braved the overnight rain, battled the mud on the ground and bemoaned the lack of basic amenities, including a paucity of water in the toilets.

Speaking to reporters at Azad Maidan, where he launched an indefinite fast on Friday, the 43-year-old activist said that the government should not spread misinformation that the Marathas are seeking reservation from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. "We are only demanding that we get our rightful share of quota based on the eligibility under the Kunbi category," he said.

"We don't want to indulge in politics. We only want a reservation. The government should not test the patience of the Maratha community," he warned, PTI reported.

He accused Fadnavis of trying to create instability and vitiate the atmosphere in the state. Fadnavis had on Friday said that the state government is positive about resolving the issues of the Marathas, if they are social and financial in nature, and not related to political reservation.