HC denies stay on move to give Kunbi certificates to Marathas

The Bombay high court on Tuesday refused to grant an interim stay on the Maharashtra government's recent decision to allow eligible members of the Maratha community to get Kunbi caste certificates, which would enable them to get reservation benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

- Prateem Rohanekar

A division bench of chief justice Shree Chandrashekhar and justice Gautam Ankhad refused to stay a government resolution (GR) issued on September 2, saying the matter needed a detailed hearing. The bench has now directed the state’s social justice department to reply to a batch of petitions filed by various OBC groups challenging the GR.

The September 2 GR allows Marathas who can prove their Kunbi ancestry through historical records to receive Kunbi caste certificates. To establish eligibility, the GR provides for the use of the 1918 Hyderabad Gazetteer, which documented Marathas as Kunbis during the Nizam’s rule. Kunbis get reservation under the OBC cate-