Manoj Jarange ends protest: What is the Hyderabad Gazette which Maharashtra govt has promised to implement?

Activist Manoj Jarange Patil during his hunger strike demanding Maratha reservation, at Azad Maidan, in Mumbai on Saturday. (Image: PTI)

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Tuesday withdrew the agitation over Maratha quota after receiving the official government resolution (GR) on the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette, granting 'Kunbi' status to Marathas of the Marathwada region, bringing the protest to an end on its fifth day.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government had assured Patil at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan that a Government Resolution (GR) will be issued for implementing Hyderabad gazette that will give Kunbi status to Marathas of Marathwada.

The delegation handed over the draft of the government resolution (GR) to Jarange-Patil.

After meeting the delegation, Patil told his supporters, “Our demands were already presented to the government in written form. The first issue was the immediate implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette, which we had demanded. The government has now decided on this. Minister Vikhe Patil has given assurance that if the protesters agree to the proposal, the government will issue a Government Resolution (GR) on it. The sub-committee has decided to approve the proposed demand for the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette.”

The government said it will issue the GR within an hour’s time, while the three other gazettes would require at least a month’s time. Six out of eight demands of Jarange-Patil have been accepted, according to The Indian Express.

What is Hyderabad Gazette?

The Hyderabad Gazette refers to an order issued in 1918 by the then Nizam government of Hyderabad. The Maratha community then covered a significant part of the Hyderabad State. However, historical records showed that they were being neglected in positions of power and employment.

To address this, the Nizam government issued an order granting the Maratha community, identified as “Hindu Marathas,” reservations in education and government jobs. This was formally recorded in the official gazette, which later came to be known as the Hyderabad Gazette.

In this order, certain communities including many from the Maratha community in the Hyderabad State (now Marathwada region of Maharashtra) — as Kunbis, was recognised as an OBC (Other Backward Class) category in Maharashtra. The Gazette includes official government documentation noting that the Maratha community has historically been socially and educationally backward.

What key demands have been accepted?

Patil’s key demand was the issuing of “Kunbi certificates” to all Marathas. This would ensure the entire community can be classified as OBC and then benefit from reservations. According to him, most Marathas were recorded as Kunbis in British-era educational and revenue records. Kunbi refers to a large agricultural community in Maharashtra. Last year, the Maharashtra government said "sage soyare" (blood relatives) of those whose records are traced as Kunbis will also get such certificates.

According to Patil, the government agreed to the implementation of the Hyderabad gazette with immediate effect. However, it sought one month for the implementation of the Satara and Pune-Aundh gazette since there were some legal issues.

The delegation also agreed to withdraw all remaining cases lodged against Maratha protesters during agitations in 2023 and 2024.

Apart from the cash compensation to the Maratha youth who ended their lives for reservation, the delegation also agreed to give jobs to family members of these youth on compassionate grounds in the state transport and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, according to a report by Hindustan Times.