Written by Omkar GokhaleMumbai | September 14, 2025 12:19 AM IST 3 min readThe HC will continue hearing the pleas against the 10% Maratha quota on October 4 (Archive)The Bombay High Court on Saturday questioned the Maharashtra government over how and whether its recent decision on implementing the Hyderabad Gazetteer to help Marathas from Marathwada region get Kunbi status impact the 10 per cent reservation granted under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) Act, 2024 and if both can coexist.The state government submitted that the recent Government Resolution (GR) only pertains to people from Marathwada region who have asserted they were Kunbis and the same would not have effect on SEBC quota.A three-judge bench of Justices Ravindra V Ghuge, N J Jamadar, and Sandeep V Marne has been hearing pleas challenging the SEBC Act, 2024. The 2024 law provided 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community that constitutes nearly one-third of Maharashtra’s population.In response to protests held in Mumbai by Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil and other agitators, the state government had issued a GR on September 2 that provided a panel to facilitate issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas able to produce documentary evidence of Kunbi ancestry and stipulated village-level mechanism to assist families in tracing records.On Saturday, Justice Ghuge orally questioned the state government over impact of the recent GR on reservation granted through SEBC quota. “How will the SEBC reservation get impacted by the new GR? When SEBC reservation was granted, was it a combination of Maratha and Kunbi? The recent agitation was for taking everyone (all Marathas) under OBC. State has still not taken a decision whether this (SEBC) has to be withdrawn..So now we have SEBC quota (for Maratha community) and some reservation under OBC…Can both coexist??Senior advocate Pradeep Sancheti representing one of the petitioners challenging SEBC Act, 2024 submitted that as per news reports Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had clarified that not all Marathas will come under the purview of new GR and only those who can produce Kunbi records will get the benefit.Advocate General Birendra Saraf for the state government also submitted that the recent GR was for persons from Marathwada region who could find their origin to Kunbis and therefore the GR will facilitate only those people who asserted they were Kunbis and want to trace their records. He said that such people will have to establish the Kunbi status, after which they will get benefit of reservation under OBC, therefore the recent GR will not affect SEBC reservation.Story continues below this adThe HC will continue hearing the pleas against the 10% Maratha quota on October 4. At least two PILs have been filed earlier this month challenging the September 2 GR, which another bench of HC wlill hear in due course.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Maratha agitation