Maratha reservation: CM Eknath Shinde appeals to citizens to maintain law and order as protests escalate

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appeals to citizens to maintain law and order over the Maratha Reservation issue. He made this appeal during a press conference held in Mumbai following a meeting of the ministerial sub-committee on the Maratha reservation. Notably, certain areas in the state have witnessed incidents of public transport bus burnings and the targeting of vehicles belonging to political leaders.

३०-१०-२०२३ 📍मुंबई मराठा आरक्षणासंदर्भात झालेल्या बैठकीनंतर पत्रकारांशी संवाद.. https://t.co/SGp8x3BoWg

— Eknath Shinde - एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) October 30, 2023

The Chief Minister reaffirmed the government's dedication to providing reservation for the Maratha community, emphasizing its commitment to withstanding legal scrutiny. The government has taken significant steps in this direction, with the Retired Justice Sandeep Shinde Committee examining over 1 crore 70 lakh documents. Among these documents, 11,530 were found to belong to Maratha community members with a Kunbi Caste background. The Chief Minister announced that the preliminary report from the Justice Shinde committee will be accepted during an upcoming cabinet meeting. Subsequently, tahsildars will be instructed to issue Kunbi caste certificates to the document holders.

Furthermore, the state government has established an advisory board comprised of three retired judges to assist with the Maratha reservation issue and the pending curative petition in the Supreme Court.