In late November and December 2022 the decades-old dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over Belagavi (Belgaum) turned into street protests on both sides of the border. On 6 December pro-Kannada activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike stoned and defaced Maharashtra-registered trucks near Hirebagewadi, Karnataka buses were defaced in Maharashtra, and both states suspended inter-state buses. On 14 December Union Home Minister Amit Shah got both chief ministers to agree to make no new claims until the Supreme Court decides, but both legislatures passed rival resolutions within two weeks. As of October 2026 the Supreme Court case filed by Maharashtra in 2004 has still not been heard on merits.
Key takeaways
- Maharashtra claims Belagavi and 865 Marathi-speaking villages and towns in Karnataka; Karnataka says the 1956 boundary and the 1967 Mahajan Commission report are final.
- The 2022 flare-up began on 22 November, when Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai spoke of Jath villages in Maharashtra seeking to join Karnataka.
- On 6 December 2022 Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists stoned and blackened Maharashtra trucks near Hirebagewadi; Belagavi police said they detained over 400 people.
- Karnataka buses were defaced in Pune and both states suspended inter-state bus services on 6 and 7 December.
- On 14 December Amit Shah announced that neither state would make claims until the Supreme Court rules, but both legislatures passed rival resolutions on 22 and 27 December.
- As of September 2026 Maharashtra's 2004 Supreme Court suit had still not been listed for hearing.
Background: a dispute dating to 1957
At Independence, Belgaum (now Belagavi) was part of Bombay state. When the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 redrew boundaries on linguistic lines, the district went to Mysore state, now Karnataka. Maharashtra objected, arguing that hundreds of Marathi-majority villages had been wrongly handed over Tribune.
At Maharashtra's request the Centre set up a commission headed by Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan in 1966. It reported in 1967. Karnataka accepted the report; Maharashtra rejected it and in 2004 filed an original suit in the Supreme Court South First ETV Bharat. Its claim has been reported as 814 villages and, in its 2022 resolution, 865 villages and towns PTI via TNM Tribune.
Maharashtra's position
Belagavi was part of the old Bombay Presidency, and it and the claimed areas, including Karwar and Nipani, have sizeable Marathi-speaking populations, so keeping them in Karnataka goes against the linguistic principle on which states were reorganised. It relies on Article 131 of the Constitution, which gives the Supreme Court jurisdiction over disputes between states IANS via FPJ ETV Bharat.
Karnataka's position
The demarcation under the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission report is final. Citing Article 3, Karnataka argues that only Parliament can alter state boundaries, so Maharashtra's suit is not maintainable IANS via FPJ PTI via South First. Karnataka also wants about 260 Kannada-speaking villages in Maharashtra Business Today/PTI.
According to Bommai, the Supreme Court framed preliminary issues on whether the suit was maintainable in 2017. That question was listed for hearing on 23 November 2022 and again on 30 November, but neither hearing took place Deccan Herald South First. On 30 November the bench of Justice K.M. Joseph was busy with the Jallikattu Constitution Bench case IANS via FPJ.
How it started: Jath and the hearing date
Both states prepared for the hearing. Bommai set up a legal team led by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, and Maharashtra named ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai as nodal ministers for the case PTI via Business Standard Business Today/PTI.
On 22 November 2022 Bommai said panchayats in Jath tehsil of Sangli district had in the past passed a resolution to merge with Karnataka and that his government was seriously considering it Business Today/PTI. On 23 November he tweeted that Kannada-speaking Solapur and Akkalkot should join Karnataka South First.
Fadnavis replied that the Jath resolution dated from 2012 and was "an old proposal". Desai said the villages had passed it more than a decade earlier to press for irrigation water from the Krishna river Business Today/PTI.
Not a single Maharashtra village will go to Karnataka.
Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, 23 November 2022 (Business Today/PTI)
Members of the Maratha Mahasangh then defaced Karnataka buses in Pune. South First called this the first act of vandalism in the row South First.
The planned ministers' visit
Patil and Desai planned to visit Belagavi on 6 December to meet the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which campaigns for Belagavi's merger with Maharashtra. On 5 December Bommai said he would ask Shinde not to send them, citing law and order, and prohibitory orders were imposed in the district PTI via TNM. The Belagavi district administration issued an order barring the two ministers and Shiv Sena MP Dhairyasheel Mane from entering that day Deccan Chronicle.
The visit did not happen. PTI reported that the ministers postponed it because of protests by pro-Kannada activists, and opposition parties in Maharashtra called them cowards PTI via Deccan Herald PTI via TNM. Claim · Unnamed sources South First reported that the visit was called off after the BJP national leadership intervened South First.
Timeline
Jath remark and reply
Bommai speaks of Jath villages; Fadnavis vows to fight for "Belgaum-Karwar-Nipani" Business Today/PTI.
Hirebagewadi and the bus halt
Trucks attacked in Karnataka, buses defaced in Maharashtra, services suspended PTI via TNM.
Shah's meeting
Both CMs agree to make no claims until the Supreme Court rules Tribune.
Mahamelava stopped
Police block the MES convention in Belagavi Deccan Herald.
Rival resolutions
Karnataka's assembly, then Maharashtra's legislature, pass unanimous resolutions Tribune.
6 December: the attacks on trucks
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists came from several districts to stop the ministers entering Belagavi and to hold a rally there. Police stopped them at the Hirebagewadi toll plaza on the highway outside the city IANS via National Herald.
Documented The activists threw stones at trucks with Maharashtra registration plates, climbed on them, pulled off number plates and painted the vehicles black. They also climbed on police vehicles with Kannada flags PTI via TNM. South First reported that police used canes to disperse them South First. No deaths or serious injuries were reported in the sources reviewed.
Police took KRV president T.A. Narayana Gowda and hundreds of workers into custody, according to PTI and IANS. Belagavi City Police Commissioner M.B. Boralingaiah told South First that about 800 activists turned up and "We detained over 400 people"; police sources said they were later released South First. On 7 December police registered an FIR against 12 KRV activists at Hirebagewadi police station under IPC sections 143, 147, 341, 427 and 149. Police said they could not arrest them yet because they had escaped IANS via National Herald.
That evening Fadnavis phoned Bommai to complain, and Shinde and Bommai agreed by phone to keep the peace. Bommai added that "there is no change in our stand" on the border PTI via TNM.
Retaliation in Maharashtra and the bus shutdown
On 6 December Shiv Sena (UBT) workers defaced several KSRTC buses parked near Pune's Swargate bus stand, and Pune police said they detained around seven Sena workers, The Indian Express reported PTI via TNM. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists were also reported to have defaced a KSRTC bus at Sindhudurg PTI via Deccan Herald.
MSRTC suspended buses to Karnataka on the afternoon of 6 December, citing a police advisory and passenger safety PTI via TNM. On 7 December NWKRTC suspended 50 buses from Nipani, 200 from Belagavi and 150 from Chikodi after its buses were defaced and a KSRTC bus's windows were broken. An official put the loss at Rs 25 lakh a day. PTI via TNM.
On 9 December opposition MPs from Maharashtra led by NCP's Supriya Sule asked Amit Shah to intervene Tribune.
Both accounts
Pro-Kannada groups and Karnataka government
KRV's Narayana Gowda said: "It is the Maharashtra government that is raking up the interstate border dispute," and that it should stay quiet until the Supreme Court rules South First. Bommai said attacks on Karnataka vehicles in Maharashtra were driven by "internal politics" there Deccan Herald. The state barred the ministers on law-and-order grounds and promised Fadnavis action against those who attacked trucks.
MES and Maharashtra parties
The MES told the Belagavi Deputy Commissioner that barring Maharashtra's ministers violated the Constitution and that elected members had "every right" to visit South First. Maharashtra's opposition blamed Bommai's remarks: Ajit Pawar said there would have been no tension if Bommai "had not made unnecessary statements" South First.
Amit Shah's 14 December meeting
Shah met Bommai, Shinde, Fadnavis and Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra in New Delhi on 14 December Tribune.
There has been an agreement that till the Supreme Court delivers its verdict, the state governments will not make any claim. The dispute should be resolved through talks.
Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, New Delhi, 14 December 2022 (Tribune)
Shah said a committee of three ministers from each state would discuss the disputed issues, and that a committee of police officers would handle law and order so that travellers, traders and students faced no trouble Deccan Herald. He said FIRs would be filed over fake Twitter accounts in leaders' names that had inflamed feelings; Karnataka's Chief Minister's Office later said it had found no such accounts South First.
19 December: the mahamelava blocked
The MES traditionally holds a "Maha Melava" (convention) in Belagavi when Karnataka's legislature meets there for its winter session. In 2022 the session opened on 19 December. Police refused permission for the Tilakwadi venue and imposed prohibitory orders, and the district barred MP Dhairyasheel Mane and Maharashtra political leaders from entering Deccan Herald Deccan Chronicle.
Deccan Herald reported that more than 30 MES activists were taken into preventive custody at the venue, where police dismantled the stage. At the Kognolli check post, police used lathis to disperse Shiv Sena and NCP workers trying to enter Karnataka. More than 200 of them and pro-Marathi activists were detained, including NCP MLA Hasan Mushrif Deccan Herald.
The rival resolutions
On 22 December Karnataka's assembly unanimously adopted a resolution moved by Bommai. It condemned the dispute "created" by Maharashtra and committed the state to legal and constitutional steps to protect its interests. Bommai called the issue "a closed chapter" since the Mahajan report PTI via TNM Deccan Herald.
On 27 December both Houses of Maharashtra's legislature, sitting in Nagpur, unanimously passed Shinde's resolution standing "resolutely" with the people of 865 villages and towns, including Belagavi, Karwar, Nipani, Bidar and Bhalki, and pledging to pursue "every inch" in the Supreme Court Tribune Deccan Herald. Bommai said Karnataka's resolution protected its land while Maharashtra's sought to take it South First. Karnataka minister K. Sudhakar said it had "no value morally or legally" Deccan Herald.
Outcome
- Deaths and injuries: None reported.
- Detentions, 6 Dec: Over 400 KRV activists at Hirebagewadi, per Belagavi police ("hundreds", per PTI); about 7 Shiv Sena (UBT) workers in Pune, per Pune police.
- Detentions, 19 Dec: 30+ MES activists in Belagavi and 200+ Sena, NCP and pro-Marathi workers at the border, per Deccan Herald.
- Cases: FIR against 12 KRV activists at Hirebagewadi.
- Transport: Inter-state buses suspended by both states from 6 and 7 December.
- Political: No-new-claims agreement and a promised six-minister committee; rival assembly resolutions.
Later developments and where things stand
The truce was tested again. In October 2023 Belagavi barred three Maharashtra ministers and an MP from entering for the MES "Black Day" on Karnataka Rajyotsava. A Supreme Court hearing listed for 1 November 2023 was put off to January 2024 South First. On 9 December 2024 police again stopped the mahamelava and detained MES leaders, and Shinde condemned the "suppressive tactics" Deccan Herald.
In February 2025 an NWKRTC conductor was assaulted near Belagavi after a row over speaking Marathi. A counter-complaint was filed against him, and bus services between the states were suspended again Deccan Herald PTI via Tribune.
In July 2026 a Maharashtra committee chaired by Chief Minister Fadnavis decided to press for an early hearing. MES general secretary Maloji Ashtekar said the ministers' committee agreed at Shah's meeting "did not progress after the change of government in Karnataka" Deccan Herald. Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said legal action was acceptable but any threat to law and order would meet strict action Free Press Journal. On 1 September 2026 Maharashtra told a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant that pleadings were complete. The CJI said, "I cannot assure a listing" ETV Bharat. No outcome of the Hirebagewadi FIR was found in the sources reviewed.
Questions people ask
Why do Karnataka and Maharashtra dispute Belagavi?
Belagavi was part of Bombay state and has a large Marathi-speaking population, but went to Mysore (Karnataka) under the 1956 reorganisation. Maharashtra wants it and 865 villages and towns; Karnataka says the boundary and the 1967 Mahajan report are final.
What happened at Hirebagewadi on 6 December 2022?
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists stopped by police at the toll plaza threw stones at Maharashtra-registered trucks, removed number plates and painted them black. Police said they detained over 400 people and filed an FIR against 12.
What did Amit Shah decide on 14 December 2022?
He said both states agreed to make no new claims until the Supreme Court rules, and to form a committee of three ministers from each state, plus a police-level mechanism for law and order.
Has the Supreme Court decided the Belagavi case?
No. Maharashtra's 2004 suit has not been heard on merits; Karnataka challenges whether it is maintainable at all. In September 2026 the CJI said he could not assure a listing.
Sources
- Business Today/PTI: Fadnavis talks tough, "Not a single village will go to Karnataka", 23 Nov 2022
- ETV Bharat: Belagavi border dispute explained, 23 Nov 2022
- PTI via Business Standard: Karnataka all set for legal battle, says Bommai, 28 Nov 2022
- Deccan Herald: Karnataka's stand justified, says Bommai ahead of SC hearing, 29 Nov 2022
- PTI via South First: Maharashtra's plea not maintainable, says Bommai, 1 Dec 2022
- PTI via The News Minute: KRV activists detained for stone-pelting at Maharashtra trucks, 6 Dec 2022
- South First: Over 400 detained as anti-Maharashtra protests break out in Belagavi, 6 Dec 2022
- PTI via The News Minute: Karnataka, Maharashtra CMs speak on phone, agree to maintain peace, 6 Dec 2022
- IANS via National Herald: FIR against Kannada activists for damaging Maharashtra trucks, 7 Dec 2022
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Peace prevails in Belagavi amid tight security, 7 Dec 2022
- PTI via The News Minute: Karnataka suspends bus services to Maharashtra, 8 Dec 2022
- Tribune: MVA leaders meet Amit Shah, 9 Dec 2022
- Tribune: CMs agree not to stake claim till Supreme Court verdict, says Amit Shah, 15 Dec 2022
- Deccan Herald: Centre asks states to form ministerial team, 15 Dec 2022
- South First: How Amit Shah stepped in, 16 Dec 2022
- Deccan Herald: MES denied permission to host convention, prohibitory orders clamped, 19 Dec 2022
- Deccan Herald: Police foil MES bid to hold Maha Melav, leaders detained, 19 Dec 2022
- Deccan Chronicle: District authorities prohibit entry of Shiv Sena MP to Belagavi, 19 Dec 2022
- PTI via The News Minute: Karnataka Assembly passes resolution on border row, 22 Dec 2022
- Deccan Herald: Karnataka Assembly adopts resolution slamming Maharashtra, 22 Dec 2022
- Tribune: After Karnataka, Maharashtra passes resolution for inclusion of 865 villages, 28 Dec 2022
- Deccan Herald: Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passes resolution, 27 Dec 2022
- South First: Maharashtra passes resolution; firm on our stand, says Karnataka, 27 Dec 2022
- Deccan Herald: Maharashtra resolution lacks value morally, legally, says K Sudhakar, 27 Dec 2022
- IANS via Free Press Journal: Supreme Court likely to take up border row in 2023, 27 Dec 2022
- South First: Karnataka halts bus services; ministers denied entry into Belagavi, 31 Oct 2023
- Deccan Herald: Police prevent MES from holding Maha Melava, 9 Dec 2024
- Deccan Herald: Karnataka, Maharashtra suspend bus services after assault on conductor, 22 Feb 2025
- PTI via Tribune: Buses suspended between Karnataka, Maharashtra, 25 Feb 2025
- Deccan Herald: Maharashtra panel to seek early hearing of border case, 9 Jul 2026
- Free Press Journal: Karnataka warns Maharashtra over support to MES, 9 Jul 2026
- ETV Bharat: Maharashtra urges SC for early hearing on 2004 lawsuit, 1 Sept 2026