Descendants of illustrious Maratha royal families, led by Raje Mudhojiraje Ajitsinghrao Bhonsle from the Nagpur royal family, have filed  a major case  in the Bombay High Court through  a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on May 5.

The PIL challenges the decision of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to remove an important map from Class 8 social science textbooks. The deleted map, figure 3.11, showed the large extent of the Maratha Empire in 1759 CE — stretching from Thanjavur to Peshawar.

Map Removed After Protests:

Along with eight other petitioners connected to well-known Maratha royal families, Bhonsle has asked the Court to immediately restore the map. According to the petition, NCERT quietly removed the map from Hindi, Urdu, and English textbooks between October 2025 and April 2026 after protests from former royal families in Rajasthan.

 The petition says this decision was taken without checking historical evidence and without waiting for the opinion of a required expert committee.

The PIL relies on an RTI reply dated January 20, which allegedly shows that NCERT did not examine any historical records, gazetteers, or academic research before deciding to remove the map.

The petitioners say  that this action violates  fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, denies students correct historical knowledge, and damages their cultural heritage.

The plea also raises concerns about the functioning of NCERT’s High-Powered Committee after historian Gajanan Bhaskar Mehendale died in September 2025. According to the petition, the committee continued to function even though it had fewer members than required.

Historical Evidence Filed:

To support their claims, the petitioners submitted a detailed 239-page “Maratha Research Compendium.” The document is based on original historical materials, including Peshwa Daftar records, British colonial documents, and the 1752 Mughal Ahadnama treaty. The petitioners say these records prove that the deleted map was historically accurate.

The PIL also refers to the 1734 Hurda Conference, where Rajput rulers met to oppose Maratha expansion beyond the Narmada River.

The petition further mentions that in March 2026, Pankaj Bhoyar,  told the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly that the Maharashtra government would officially oppose the removal  of the map. It further states that around 79,130 public grievances, complaints, and objections were submitted on Change.org against NCERT’s decision.

What the PIL Seeks:

Finally, the PIL asks the Court to set aside  NCERT’s decision, restore the  deleted map in Class 8  textbooks, and direct that any future syllabus changes should  be made only  after review by an independent expert committee.

Case Details: Raje Mudhojiraje Ajitsinghrao Bhonsle & Ors v. Union of India & Ors