No resolution to the Maharashtra–Karnataka border dispute even after 70 years

70 years of the border dispute
Mentioned 76 times in governors’ addresses over 70 years

Mr Pritam Nachankar, Special Correspondent, Sanatan Prabhat

Mumbai – It has been 70 years since the Maharashtra–Karnataka border dispute originated in 1956, around the time of the formation of the state of Maharashtra. However, even after seven decades, no concrete resolution has been reached. Since the formation of Maharashtra on 1 May 1960, the border dispute has been mentioned 76 times in Governors’ addresses, including the most recent reference made by Governor Acharya Devvrat during the ongoing state legislative budget session.

In the 1950s, the demand for linguistic reorganisation of states gained momentum across the country. At that time, there was a growing demand for a separate state of Maharashtra for Marathi-speaking people. In 1956, the Union Government implemented the States Reorganisation Act. During this period, the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement was launched with the demand for “Maharashtra with Mumbai.” As a result, the separate state of Maharashtra was formed on 1 May 1960; however, Belgaum was not included within it. Consequently, the border dispute continued even after Maharashtra’s formation.

Mahajan Commission recommendations rejected by Maharashtra

To resolve the issue, the Union Government established a commission in 1966 under the chairmanship of former Chief Justice Meher Chand Mahajan, known as the Mahajan Commission. In its 1967 report, the commission proposed transferring certain villages to Maharashtra and others to Karnataka. It recommended including 264 villages in Maharashtra, while retaining Belgaum, Karwar, Khanapur, and other Marathi-speaking majority areas within Karnataka. Maharashtra rejected the report, and as a result, the Union Government did not implement its recommendations.

Case pending for 22 years

In 2004, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking the inclusion of Marathi-speaking villages from the Maharashtra–Karnataka border region into Maharashtra. The case remains pending before the Supreme Court. Hearings have been repeatedly deferred. A hearing scheduled for January 2026 was postponed, and no new date has yet been announced.