PRASHIK S/O. RAMESH BHARDE Vs. THE VICE-CHAIRMAN/MEMBER-SECRETARY SCHEDULED TRIBE CASTE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard finally by consent of the learned counsel appearing for the parties.

(2.) The challenge raised is to the order passed by the Caste Scrutiny Committee dated 29.06.2018, thereby invalidating the claim of the petitioner of belonging to "Mana" Scheduled Tribe.

(3.) Before the Scrutiny Committee, the petitioner relied upon various documents, the oldest thereof being a School Leaving Certificate that was issued on 20.07.1953 in which it was stated that the grandfather of the petitioner was admitted in School on that date and his date of birth 17.03.1944. The caste was shown as "Mana". This document along with various other documents were subjected to verification by the Vigilance Cell and they were found to be existing in the original records. In the impugned order, the Scrutiny Committee has held that the entry "Mana" found place in the Scheduled Tribes Order of 1950 and therefore the School Leaving Certificate issued thereafter in 1953 could not be taken into consideration. It was also held that the petitioner could not show any affinity with "Mana" Scheduled Tribe.