As per reports, the Bombay High Court on Friday (12 January) declined to grant an urgent hearing to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a restraint on Manoj Jarange Patil and Maratha activists from entering the city on Saturday (20 January) to press their demand for reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education.

Manoj Jarange Patil had announced plans to bring lakhs of people to Mumbai and sit on protest until their demand for reservation for the Maratha community was met. The agitators plan to march towards Mumbai from Jalna district of Maharashtra, passing through Beed, Ahmednagar, Pune, to finally reach Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Saturday (20 January).

• The petition was brought before a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor by advocate RN Kachve, representing Hemant Patil.
• Kachve stated that around one crore people are likely to assemble at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai under the leadership of Manoj Jarange-Patil. However, the bench observed that it was the prerogative of the authorities to decide on permissions for such gatherings and not the court.