Shrimant Mudhojiraje Bhosale files PIL in Bombay High Court
Pune, Maharashtra – “The map showing the expansion of the Maratha Empire from Attock to Cuttack, depicting its glorious history, has been removed from school textbooks by the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training). This is an attempt to erase Maratha history. They are unable to provide a satisfactory answer as to why this map was removed. Due to the inaction of Maharashtra’s public representatives, a question mark has been raised over Maharashtra’s glorious history. We have filed a petition in the Bombay High Court in protest against this injustice”, stated Shrimant Mudhojiraje Bhosale. He was speaking at a press conference organised on 5 May at the Journalists’ Building in Pune.
Key issues raised by Shrimant Mudhojiraje Bhosale
- The removal of this map conveys an erroneous message to society, particularly to impressionable young minds. It raises the question whether Maratha history has now been relegated merely to anecdotal stories and discussions.
- Political leaders and royal families of Rajasthan applied pressure on the Central Board of Education to have this map removed.
- The matter was raised in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on 11 March 2026. On that occasion, the Minister of State stated that “this map is missing from Urdu and Marathi medium books. Even after the state government wrote to the central government, no attention was paid. Subsequently, the map was also removed from English medium books.”
- He expressed regret that the map would not be included even in textbooks for the forthcoming academic year 2026-27, and accused the state government of providing only hollow assurances.
- When public representatives fail to discharge their duty towards the people, one is compelled to approach the court, he observed while referring to the filing of the petition.
Agitation will be intensified until the map is reinstated in the textbooks.
Kunal Malusare, the 13th descendant of Narveer Tanaji Malusare, said, “Until this map is reinstated in the NCERT textbooks, our struggle will continue. We will not remain silent.”
Ravi Padwal, president of ‘Hindu Bandhav Samiti’, said, “Today’s politicians ascend to power by invoking the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; yet not a single public representative has stepped forward on this issue. All politicians remain inactive and indifferent. We will launch a strong agitation to press this demand.”