Jarange Tells HC Maratha Quota Stir Ended After Issue Resolved, HC Demands His Response To Pleas

Last Updated:September 03, 2025, 14:13 IST

The court observed that large-scale damage to public property had been alleged and sought a clear statement clarifying that the agitators were not instigators.

Manoj Jarange is on an indefinite hunger strike. (File image/PTI)

Activist Manoj Jarange informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that the Maratha quota agitation had been called off after the issue was resolved.

A bench comprising acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe accepted this submission but instructed Jarange to file an affidavit addressing various allegations made in petitions concerning the five-day protest held by him and his supporters in Mumbai.

“There are some issues. Large-scale damages were caused to public property. Who will pay for that?" the bench questioned.

Advocates Satish Maneshinde and V M Thorat, representing Jarange and the organisations leading the agitation, maintained that no damage was caused except for inconvenience to the public.

The bench insisted Jarange and the organisations file affidavits to clarify their position.

“The affidavits must state that Jarange and his team were not the instigators. There needs to be a clear statement asserting they were not behind the incidents. The petitions contain serious allegations," the court noted.

The court warned that without a statement of denial on affidavit, Jarange and his team would be considered instigators.

The bench assured that once the affidavits are filed, the court would not issue any adverse order but would only dispose of the petitions.

Jarange and his team were granted four weeks to file their affidavits.

On Tuesday, the court had issued an ultimatum to Jarange and his supporters to vacate Mumbai’s Azad Maidan immediately, deeming the protest illegal and without permission.

However, the bench later agreed to Jarange’s request to stay at Azad Maidan until Wednesday morning, anticipating a resolution.

Jarange, who commenced his hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on August 29, ended the protest on Tuesday evening after the government accepted most of his demands. This included granting eligible Marathas Kunbi caste certificates, making them eligible for reservation benefits available to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Following the Maharashtra government’s issuance of a resolution to form a committee for granting Kunbi caste certificates to eligible persons from the Maratha community with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, Jarange and his supporters vacated the venue.

Abhro Banerjee

Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ...Read More

Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ...

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September 03, 2025, 14:13 IST

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