The Maharashtra government has formalised the administrative functioning of the Justice Sandeep Shinde Committee working on procedures for certificates linked to Maratha reservation, while withdrawing the provision for a fixed monthly honorarium of ₹4 lakh for its chairperson.
The changes were announced through three government resolutions issued by the General Administration Department on Wednesday, September 16, as Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange was travelling towards Mumbai. The decisions provide the committee and the Maratha Reservation Cell with dedicated office space in the Mantralaya complex and establish a meeting-based payment system for the committee.
Under the first government resolution, space on the 12th floor of the New Administrative Building, previously allotted to the Energy Department, will now be assigned to the Justice Shinde Committee and the Maratha Reservation Cell. The space is to be returned to the Energy Department after the committee and cell complete their work.
The second resolution sets out the honorarium payable for committee meetings. Meetings held in individual districts, either in person or through video conferencing, will attract an honorarium of ₹50,000 per meeting. Meetings conducted at the divisional commissioner level will attract ₹2 lakh per meeting. The combined monthly honorarium for such meetings will be capped at ₹4 lakh, according to the decision reported by Loksatta.
The payment structure replaces the earlier provision of a fixed monthly amount for the committee chairperson. A June 25 government resolution had stated that retired Justice Sandeep Shinde would be eligible for a monthly honorarium of ₹4 lakh for the committee’s work. A corrigendum issued on September 16 removed that provision directly.
The immediate administrative effect is that payment will now depend on the type and number of meetings held, rather than being guaranteed as a fixed monthly amount. The government’s decisions also place the committee’s work within a defined departmental arrangement by giving it dedicated space alongside the Maratha Reservation Cell.
The committee is examining procedures related to reservation certificates, an issue that has remained central to the state’s response to the Maratha reservation movement. The resolutions do not state a new completion deadline for the committee’s work. They establish its office arrangement and payment mechanism while retaining the monthly ceiling for meeting-related honoraria.
