A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed before the Bombay High Court by descendants of Maratha royal families challenging the National Council of Educational Research and Training's (NCERT) decision to remove a map depicting the extent of the Maratha Empire from class 8 social science textbooks [Raje Mudhojiraje Ajitsinghrao Bhonsle & Ors v. Union of India & Ors].
The petition, filed on May 5, by nine person including Raje Mudhojiraje Ajitsinghrao Bhonsle of the Nagpur royal family and other descendants of prominent Maratha lineage has sought restoration of figure 3.11, a map showing the Maratha Empire's territorial reach in 1759 CE, stretching from Thanjavur to Peshawar.
According to the petition, NCERT removed the map from Hindi, Urdu, and English editions between October 2025 and April 2026 following protests from Rajasthan's former royal families, without examining historical records or completing a mandated expert committee review.
The PIL has referred to an RTI response dated January 20, confirming that no historical documents, gazetteers or academic research were consulted before the decision to remove the map.
Such removal violates fundamental rights under the Constitution depriving students of accurate historical education and infringing upon cultural identity rights, the petitioners have claimed.
As per the petition, NCERT's High-Powered Committee proceeded with an incomplete panel after historian Gajanan Bhaskar Mehendale died in September 2025.
The petitioners have cited a 239-page 'Maratha Research Compendium' comprising primary sources including Peshwa Daftar records, British colonial documents, and the 1752 Mughal Ahadnama treaty to establish the map's historical accuracy.
They have also cited the 1734 Hurda Conference, where Rajput rulers convened to counter Maratha expansion beyond the Narmada River.
The PIL refers to a March 2026 assurance given by Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar in the State legislature that the government would formally protest the deletion.
Further, approximately 79,130 complaints were registered on Change.org against the removal, it has been pointed out.
The petitioners have sought directions to quash NCERT's decision and restore the map, along with directions to constitute an independent expert committee before any future curriculum changes.