New Delhi: Maratha Reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Friday issued an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government, asking it to issue a Government Resolution regarding Maratha quota by tonight. He said that if the demands are not met, the protestors will march to Mumbai on Saturday morning. Jarange Patil, who was in Navi Mumbai, also demanded the Maharashtra government to withdraw all the cases filed by the police against the Maratha Reservation protestors.

He said that the protestors will wait till tonight for the government to issue an ordinance and hand it over to them. He said that the protestors will leave for Mumbai by 11 am tomorrow and will not return without reservation.

Jarange Patil had earlier said on Thursday that their rally to Mumbai will be peaceful, but they will not come back without reservation. He said that their last stop will be at Vashi, after which they will head to Mumbai. He said that their number will increase and all the Maratha people from across Maharashtra will join them in Mumbai. He said that the people of Mumbai are also supporting them.

The Maratha Reservation protests resumed in Maharashtra on Friday as Jarange Patil led a march to Mumbai, demanding the immediate implementation of the Maratha reservation. The protests come in the backdrop of the Supreme Court hearing on January 24, a curative petition filed by the Maharashtra government, challenging its May 5, 2021 verdict, which had declared the Maratha reservation law unconstitutional.

The curative petition is the last resort available to the parties in the case after the review petition is rejected. On May 5, 2021, the Supreme Court had quashed the reservations for the Maratha community in colleges, higher educational institutions, and jobs, saying that there was no valid reason to breach 50 per cent reservation while granting Maratha reservation.