In this guide
In 2016–17, cities across Maharashtra saw some of the largest silent marches in India's history. Hundreds of thousands of people, many carrying saffron flags, walked without slogans behind placards demanding justice and reservation for the Maratha community. The Maratha Kranti Morcha marches were disciplined, peaceful and impossible to ignore.
The demand they voiced has since passed through commissions, laws, the Bombay High Court, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court and repeated agitations. For MPSC, the issue is a Mains favourite because it tests your understanding of reservation jurisprudence, federalism and social justice — and your ability to write about a sensitive subject with balance.
Background
- The Marathas are a large community in Maharashtra, historically associated with agriculture and landholding, and prominent in politics and the cooperative movement.
- At the same time, many Maratha families are small or marginal farmers facing agrarian distress, fragmented landholdings, falling incomes and limited access to good jobs and higher education.
- The demand for reservation grew as agriculture became less viable and competition for education and government jobs intensified.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014 | The state issues an ordinance granting 16 per cent reservation to Marathas (and a separate quota for Muslims); the Bombay High Court stays it |
| 2016–17 | Maratha Kranti Morcha silent marches across the state |
| 2017–18 | The State Backward Class Commission headed by Justice M. G. Gaikwad studies the community and declares Marathas socially and educationally backward |
| 2018 | The Maharashtra SEBC Act provides 16 per cent reservation |
| 2019 | The Bombay High Court upholds the law but says the quota should be reduced (to 12 per cent in education and 13 per cent in jobs) as recommended by the Commission |
| 2021 (May) | A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court (in Jaishri Laxmanrao Patil v. Chief Minister of Maharashtra) strikes down the SEBC Act |
| 2021 (August) | The 105th Amendment restores states' power to identify SEBCs |
| 2023–24 | Renewed agitation led by Manoj Jarange Patil; the demand shifts towards Kunbi certificates (which would bring Marathas within the OBC category) |
| 2024 (February) | Based on a report of the State Commission for Backward Classes (headed by Justice Sunil Shukre), the Legislature passes a new law giving 10 per cent reservation to Marathas as a separate SEBC category; it is challenged in court |
The 2021 Supreme Court judgment
The Court's main holdings were:
- The 50 per cent ceiling: In Indra Sawhney (1992), the Supreme Court held that reservations should not normally exceed 50 per cent, except in extraordinary situations (for example, far-flung and remote areas). The Court found no exceptional circumstances to justify breaching the ceiling for Marathas.
- No case for backwardness: The Court was not persuaded that the Gaikwad Commission's findings established that Marathas were socially and educationally backward in a way that required reservation beyond the ceiling.
- The 102nd Amendment: By a 3:2 majority, the Court held that after the 102nd Amendment (2018), which gave constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes and inserted Article 342A, only the President (the Union) could identify SEBCs for the purposes of the Central list — and the majority read this as limiting states' power.
The 105th Amendment (2021)
Parliament responded quickly. The 105th Amendment amended Article 342A to clarify that states retain the power to prepare their own lists of SEBCs. This restored states' role, but did not change the 50 per cent ceiling.
The Kunbi question
Kunbi is a cultivating caste that is included in the OBC list in Maharashtra. Historical records — especially in Marathwada, which was part of Hyderabad State — sometimes record Maratha families as Kunbi. The agitation led by Manoj Jarange Patil demanded that Marathas be given Kunbi certificates, bringing them within the OBC category.
- The state set up a committee to verify old records of Kunbi lineage.
- Proposals to extend certificates to "sage-soyare" (blood relatives) of those with Kunbi records were debated.
- OBC organisations strongly opposed any move that would bring a large community into the existing OBC quota, fearing a reduction in their own share.
The EWS quota
The 103rd Amendment (2019) created a 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) among those not covered by existing reservations. The Supreme Court upheld it in Janhit Abhiyan (2022), holding that the 50 per cent ceiling applied to backward-class reservations and not to the EWS quota. After the 2021 judgment, eligible Maratha candidates could access EWS reservation.
A balanced Mains framework
| Dimension | Points |
|---|---|
| Case for | Agrarian distress; poverty among many Maratha families; unequal access to quality education and jobs; the principle that backwardness should be assessed on current data |
| Case against | 50 per cent ceiling; the community's historical social and political prominence; risk to existing OBC shares; demands from other communities for similar treatment |
| Constitutional issues | Articles 15(4), 16(4), 342A; Indra Sawhney; the 102nd and 105th Amendments; EWS |
| Alternatives | Agricultural reform; skill development; education loans and scholarships; hostels; employment generation; better implementation of EWS |
| Larger questions | Should the 50 per cent ceiling be revisited? Should there be a caste census for evidence-based policy? |
Practice
Prelims-style:
- In which case did the Supreme Court strike down the Maratha SEBC Act in 2021?
- Which amendment restored the power of states to identify SEBCs?
- Which case established the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations?
- Who headed the State Backward Class Commission that recommended reservation for Marathas in 2018?
- Which amendment introduced the EWS quota?
Mains-style:
- "The Maratha reservation debate reflects a deeper crisis in agriculture." Discuss.
- Examine the constitutional validity of exceeding the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Maharashtra Public Service Commission website .
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